Dolomite develops leading edge etching technology enabling chip design similar to porous rock struct

Dolomite develops leading edge etching technology enabling chip design similar to porous rock structures

Home > Test & Monitoring > Dolomite develops leading edge etching technology enabling chip design similar to porous rock structures

13th November 2010

Source: Dolomite

Dolomite develops leading edge etching technology enabling chip design similar to porous rock structures

Understanding the full characteristics of fluid flow through porous structures, such as rock, is essential for applications including oil extraction from petroleum reservoirs, environmental testing and groundwater analysis. However, fluid flow through porous media is very complex and difficult to analyse. The pore space within the rock is not only difficult to access but often characterised by parameters like connectivity and tortuosity which are very difficult to measure and quantify.

Furthermore, the flow is influenced by complex interactions between the fluids themselves and the geometry or surface of the pore space. By using a new etching technology, Dolomite, a world leader in microfluidic design and manufacture, can design microfluidic chips with channel geometries similar to porous rock structures featuring a variety of wide and narrow channels. The channel geometry can be custom made to represent the exact structure required.

The microfluidic chip offers excellent access for optics and full visualisation of the fluid flow allowing fast analysis. Operating over a wide temperature (-15⁰C up to 250⁰C) and pressure range (up to 100bar), the glass device offers outstanding chemical resistance allowing a broad range of solvents and chemicals to be used.

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