Numerical design study of continuous separation of blood cells in a microfluidic device using combined dielectrophoretic and hydrodynamic forces

A new design for continuous separation of multiple blood cells from diluted whole blood in a microfluidic device based on dielectrophoresis phenomenon is presented. Compared to the other studies, the proposed separator is designed for simultaneous separation of more types of blood cells with desirable accuracy. Using finite-element-based simulations, the device efficiency is evaluated for separation of five blood cell types. The proposed separator uses both dielectrophoretic and hydrodynamic drag forces to separate blood cells. The separator performance under different operating conditions is also evaluated.