A Review of Laminar Single-Phase Flow in Microchannels

Abstract

Abstract Microfluidics plays a major role in the development of many innovative research activities aimed at the development of miniaturized devices and systems, and new applications related to microscale handling of fluids. As the field of microfluidics continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the mechanisms and fundamental differences involved in microscale fluid flow. This paper presents a summary of the experimental research efforts in the area of microscale single-phase internal fluid flow and discusses issues associated with investigating microscale flows. While the currently available experimental data indicate the presence of microscale phenomena, they do not unequivocally identify the effects. There is a clear need for additional experimental investigations.