CFD analysis of the influence of contraction size on electroviscous flow through the slit-type non-uniform microfluidic device

Abstract: The electroviscous effects are relevant in controlling and manipulating the fluid, thermal, and mass transport microfluidic processes. The existing research has mainly focused on the fixed contraction ratio ($d_\text{c}$, i.e., the area ratio of contraction to expansion) concerning the widely used contraction-expansion geometrical arrangement. This study has explored the influence of the contraction ratio ($d_\text{c}$) on the electroviscous flow of electrolyte liquids through the charged non-uniform microfluidic device. The numerical solution of the mathematical model (Poisson's, Nernst-Planck, and Navier-Stokes) using a finite element method (FEM) yields the local flow fields. In general, the contraction ratio significantly affects the hydrodynamic characteristics of microfluidic devices. The total electrical potential and pressure drop maximally increase by {1785\% and 2300\%}, respectively, with an overall contraction ratio ($0.25\le d_\text{c}\le 1$). Further, an electroviscous correction factor ($Y$, i.e., the ratio of apparent to physical viscosity) maximally enhances by 11.24\% (at $K=8$, $S=16$ for $0.25\le d_\text{c}\le 1$), 31.80\% (at $S=16$, $d_\text{c}=0.75$ for $2\le K\le 20$), 22.89\% (at $K=2$, $d_\text{c}=0.5$ for $4\le S\le 16$), and 46.99\% (at $K=2$, $d_\text{c}=0.75$ for $0\le S \le 16$). The present numerical results may provide valuable guidelines for the performance optimization and design of reliable and essential microfluidic devices.