Abstract
Fundamental characteristics of a micropump system driven by surface tension are studied on the basis of two-dimensional numerical analysis. Since the surface tension is controlled by the temperature difference between the hot and cold junctions of the thermoelectric elements, the equations for liquid and gas phases are formulated by coupling them with the energy equation for the thermoelectric elements. In particular, using boundary-conforming grids, the effect of the interface deformation was taken unto account. By systematically varying the contact angle as well as the interface height, the variations of the flow rate are discussed.
