Numerical analysis of a centrifugal microfluidic platform for PCR thermocycling

Centrifugal microfluidics, as a field of microfluidics, has shown impressive improvements in manufacturing of the medical systems implementing biological diagnostic methods such as immunoassay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. PCR is a powerful method for amplification of the DNA samples utilizing cycling through three specific temperatures. This paper presents a numerical analysis for the simulation of the thermocycling process in a disc-based microfluidic cartridge. The simulated model consists of a liquid chamber located into a rotating disc and a heating unit for raising the temperature of embedded liquid. Disc spin frequency and heating element position are two major parameters that can affect the temperature distribution in the disc and liquid regions whose influences are determined. Thermal profiles of the liquid are presented applying appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The results indicate the more influence of the distance of heating element from the disc compare with the rotation frequency of the disc.