52
4 Dimensioning Droplet Microfluidic Networks
They enabled him/her to quickly check and refine initial specifications as well as to
efficiently determine a specification which works as intended.
The remainder of this chapter is structured as follows: The next section points
out the general approach for dimensioning a microfluidic network and the resulting
challenges. In Sects. 4.2 and 4.3, two methods for validating specifications and
automatically determining a proper specification are introduced. Their application
as well as results obtained using both methods are afterwards discussed in Sect. 4.4.
Finally, this chapter is concluded in Sect. 4.5.
4.1 Components and Challenges
For the specification, actual components realizing the desired experiments have to
be selected. This includes
• a pump for producing a continuous flow which drives the droplets through the
system,
• droplet generators for injecting droplets,
• modules for executing operations on the droplets,
• possibly sorters for controlling the path of droplets, as well as
• channels for connecting the components (pumps, modules, and outlets) with each
other.
Here, the pump, droplet injectors, sorters, and modules are implicitly defined by
the experiments to be executed.
Example 4.1 Let’s assume the designer selected a syringe pump producing a
constant volumetric flow rate, a T-junction for generating droplets, two sorters
for controlling the path of droplets as well as modules for mixing m 1 , heating h 1 ,
delaying t 1 , and detecting d 1 . This yields a partial specification as shown in Fig. 4.1.
Outlet
c
3
c
h 1
4
c
5
c
6
c
7
c
t 1
Delaying Module
d 1
T−junction
8
Detecting Module
11
c
m 1
Mixing Module
Pump
1
c
2
c
10
c
9
c
in
Q
Heating Module
Sorter
Sorter
Fig. 4.1 Partial specification of a microfluidic network
4 Dimensioning Droplet Microfluidic Networks
They enabled him/her to quickly check and refine initial specifications as well as to
efficiently determine a specification which works as intended.
The remainder of this chapter is structured as follows: The next section points
out the general approach for dimensioning a microfluidic network and the resulting
challenges. In Sects. 4.2 and 4.3, two methods for validating specifications and
automatically determining a proper specification are introduced. Their application
as well as results obtained using both methods are afterwards discussed in Sect. 4.4.
Finally, this chapter is concluded in Sect. 4.5.
4.1 Components and Challenges
For the specification, actual components realizing the desired experiments have to
be selected. This includes
• a pump for producing a continuous flow which drives the droplets through the
system,
• droplet generators for injecting droplets,
• modules for executing operations on the droplets,
• possibly sorters for controlling the path of droplets, as well as
• channels for connecting the components (pumps, modules, and outlets) with each
other.
Here, the pump, droplet injectors, sorters, and modules are implicitly defined by
the experiments to be executed.
Example 4.1 Let’s assume the designer selected a syringe pump producing a
constant volumetric flow rate, a T-junction for generating droplets, two sorters
for controlling the path of droplets as well as modules for mixing m 1 , heating h 1 ,
delaying t 1 , and detecting d 1 . This yields a partial specification as shown in Fig. 4.1.
Outlet
c
3
c
h 1
4
c
5
c
6
c
7
c
t 1
Delaying Module
d 1
T−junction
8
Detecting Module
11
c
m 1
Mixing Module
Pump
1
c
2
c
10
c
9
c
in
Q
Heating Module
Sorter
Sorter
Fig. 4.1 Partial specification of a microfluidic network