Dean flow velocity of viscoelastic fluids in curved microchannels

Curved microchannels take advantage of inertial and Dean drag forces to achieve size-based separation of particles and cells. Despite the reported numerical and experimental correlations for Dean velocity (VDe) of Newtonian fluids, comprehensive studies and correlations are still required for the flow of viscoelastic fluids in curved microchannels. In this paper, the effects of curved channel height, radius of curvature, and kinematic viscosity were investigated to derive an empirical correlation for VDe of viscoelastic water. The developed knowledge of viscoelastic Dean flow velocity will be vital in design of elasto-inertial microfluidic devices for determination of lateral displacement of fluids in fluid exchange and Dean drag force in particle focusing and separation applications.