Development of a microfluidic device for gas separation utilizing the Soret effect

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24656146
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Thermal engineering
• Research Institution: Shibaura Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: ONO Naoki 芝浦工業大学, 工学部, 教授 (20407224)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MATSUMOTO Sohei 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 集積マイクロシステム研究センター, 研究チーム長 (70358035)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: マイクロナノデバイス / 熱工学 / 流体工学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The goal of this research is to develop a novel device for separating hydrogen gas utilizing the Soret effect, which produces a concentration difference only by imposing a temperature difference. In our experiment, the mixture gas of hydrogen and carbon dioxide was passed through a micro channel, in which temperature difference was imposed in the direction crossing the flow normally. In the first two years, we built a special device with silicon wafer and glass by MEMS fabrication technology, and imposed temperature difference of 80 Centigrade. With two-step separation, we obtained 0.8 % of hydrogen increment. In the last year, to enhance separation by increasing temperature difference, we remade the micro device by using stainless steel. With temperature difference of 300 Centigrade, and with three-step separation, we obtained 1.22 % increment of hydrogen concentration. We confirmed the validity of application of the Soret effect and multi-process to hydrogen separation.

Free Research Field

熱流体工学