Finite element simulation strategies for microfluidic devices with chemical reactions

We present a general Galerkin finite element method (GFEM) based model for simulation of two- and three-dimensional (2- and 3-D) fluid flow, thermal fields, and chemical species concentrations in microfluidic devices. This approach incorporates a flexible mesh generation procedure that enables us to explore different microfluidic device designs for chemical processing and chemical sensor applications. Simulation results are validated by comparisons with experimental data for a microchemical device. The good agreement between simulations and experiments demonstrates the ability of FEM solutions to provide accurate simulations of microfluidic chemical devices.