This paper discusses the principle of AC electroosmosis and its use to move the bulk of an electrically conducting fluid in a microchannel as an alternative to mechanical pumping methods. Previous EO driven flow research [1-3] has looked at the effect of electrode asymmetry and transverse traveling wave forms on the performance of electroosmotic pumps. This paper presents an analysis that was conducted to assess the effect of combining an AC signal with a DC bias when generating the electric field needed to impart electroosmosis within a micro-channel [4]. The analysis was done using COMSOL 3.5a in which previously developed equations [1-2] were embedded and used to evaluate the effects of the frequency of excitation, electrode array geometry, and the AC signal with a DC bias on the flow imparted on an electrically conducting fluid. A single type of fluid was simulated to date. Experimental flow measurements were performed on several pump configurations manufactured using typical MEMS fabrication techniques. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation data. They confirm that using an asymmetric electrode array excited by an AC signal with a DC bias leads to a significant improvement in flow rates in comparison to the flow rates obtained in an asymmetric electrode array configuration excited just with an AC signal.
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