An experimental characterization of a tunable separation device

By the use of an experimental setup for microfluidic
flows, we have characterized the separation and
concentration characteristics of the so-called Trilobite™
separation unit. Our separation unit consists of microfluidic
channels and an elliptical separation geometry with a solid
and a permeable wall region. We show that it is possible
to adjust the thickness of different flow layers by changing
the flow rates and pressure drop over the permeable wall.
For high pressure drops, the separator shows promising
concentration characteristics. For low pressure drops, an
increase in flow rate results in a thinning of the flow layers.
For sufficiently high flow rates, it should therefore be possible
to create flow layers sufficiently thin that the particle
separation is entirely dominated by hydrodynamic forces.
This, in turn, will enable clog-free particle separation.