Revolutionizing plasma separation: cutting-edge design, simulation, and optimization techniques in microfluidics using COMSOL

Abstract

Blood plasma is used in more than 90% of blood diagnosis tests, microfluidics devices for separating plasma from whole blood can be utilised to multiple clinical laboratory and point-of-care diagnostics. To separate blood plasma, this research developed a structural design for microfluidic channels. The blood flow behaviour in microchannels has been modelled using the Euler–Euler Laminar Flow Model in COMSOL Multiphysics™. Differently designed microchips with segregating microchannels were created and subjected to investigation. Investigations were done on the geometrical impact of microchannels on plasma separation. Simulation results show that channel model contributes little in displacement or isolating the cells in low flow rate and become a difficult model in the case of blood separation, because it involves capturing the intricate fluid–particle interactions, such as hydrodynamic forces, particle–wall interactions, and particle–particle interactions. Studies on the angle between the main channel and side channels in trifurcation as well as bifurcation, different separator shapes, such as triangular, square, and serpentine, with a focus on the serpentine separator width with outlet bifurcation, show that there is a sudden change in flow direction of the cell free layer to obtain more plasma with a higher purity. By altering the angle of the outlet bifurcation and linearly increasing the diameter of the serpentine, an optimum design with many channels has been presented and evaluated.