Abstract
The feasibility of a device is studied that drives a fluid in nanoscale channel using a phenomenon called thermal transpiration, where the fluid is set in motion by a temperature gradient in the fluid-solid interface. Four different types of systems are considered using the Molecular Dynamics Simulation. They differ mainly in channel configuration and the way the gradient is applied. The simulation results show that the design of the device has major technical obstacles. One is a difficulty in imposing a sufficiently-large temperature gradient in the small scale. In this case, the feature like thermal-contact-resistance at the interface needs to be included in design considerations. The second is a limited flowdevelopment under an increased viscous drag in the narrow channel. One of the considered systems proves to be effective in a pumping operation. The system is based on a unit that repeats itself periodically in the system. The unit is composed of two regions: one that drives a fluid by thermophoretic force and the other that guides the fluid smoothly with little thermophoretic force. The latter region is made of a thermally-insulating, weakly-interacting solid.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H. A. Stone, A. D. Stroock and A. Ajdari, Engineering Flows in Small Devices: Microfluidics Toward a Lab-on-a-Chip Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech. 36 (2004) 381.
H. Sugimoto and Y. Sone, Vacuum pump without a moving part driven by thermal edge flow Rarefied Gas Dynamics, eds. M. Capitelli, American Institute Of Aeronautics (2003) 168.
Y. Sone, Y. Waniguchi and K. Aoki, One-way flow of a rarefied gas induced in a channel with a periodic temperature distribution Phys. Fluids, 8 (1997) 2227.
Y. Sone and H. Sugimoto, Vacuum pump without a moving part and its performance Rarefied Gas Dynamics eds. A.D. Ketsdever and E.P. Muntz, American Institute Of Aeronautics (2003) 1041
M. Han, Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Nanoscale Liquid Pump Driven by Temperature Gradient, Proceedings of Asia Pacific Conference on Optics Manufacture, Hong Kong, (2007) 183.
Y. Sone, Flows Induced by Temperature Fields in a Rarefied Gas and their Ghost Effect on the Behavior of a Gas in the Continuum Limit Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech. 32 (2000) 779.
J. C. Maxwell and J. C., On the stress in rarefied gases arising from inequalities of temperature Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London 170 (1879) 231.
M. Han, Thermophoresis in liquids: a molecular dynamics simulation study J. Colloid Inter. Sci. 284 (2005) 339.
G. Q. Xu, S. L. Bernasek and J. C. Tully, Stochastic trajectory studies of small argon cluster scattering from Pt(111) J. Chem. Phys. 88 (1988) 3376.
M. Head-Gordon, J. C. Tully, C. T. Rettner, C. B. Mullins and D. J. Auerbach, On the nature of trapping and desorption at high surface temperatures. Theory and experiments for the Ar-Pt(111) system J. Chem. Phys. 94 (1991) 1516.
C. Ramseyer, P. N. M. Hoang and C. Girardet, Interpretation of high-order commensurate phases for an argon monolayer adsorbed on Pt(111) Phys. Rev. B, 49 (4) (1994) 2861–2868.
C. R. Arumainayagam, R. J. Madix, M. C. McMaster, V. M. Suzawa and J. C. Tully, Trapping dynamics of Xenon on Pt(111) Surf. Sci., 226, (1990) 180.
M. P. Allen and D. J. Tildesley, Computer Simulation of Liquids, Oxford University Press, Oxford, (1987)
J. C. Tully, Dynamics of gas-surface interactions: 3D generalized Langevin model applied to fcc and bcc surfaces J. Chem. Phys. 73 (1980) 1975–1985.
M. Han, J. S. Lee, S. Park, and Y. K. Choi, Molecular dynamics study of thin film instability and nanostructure formation Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 49 (2006) 879–888.
P. Yi, D. Poulikakos, J. Walther and G. Yadigaroglu Molecular dynamics simulation of vaporization of an ultra-thin liquid argon layer on a surface Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 45 (2002) 2087–2100.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Han, M. Thermally-driven nanoscale pump by molecular dynamics simulation. J Mech Sci Technol 22, 157–165 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-007-1019-4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-007-1019-4