Sensors and actuators for turbulent flows

Book chapter, 2005

During the last decade MEMS devices have had major impacts on both industrial and medical applications. Examples of the former group are accelerometers for automobile airbags, scanning electron microscope tips to image single atoms, microheatexchangers for electronic cooling, and micromirrors used for light-beam steering. Micropumping is useful for ink-jet printing and cooling of electronic equipment. Existing and prospective medical applications include reactors for separating biological cells, controlled delivery and measurement of minute amount of medication, pressure sensors for catheter tips, and development of an artificial pancreas. The concept of MEMS includes a variety of devices, structures, and systems: this chapter will focus only on MEMS devices that generally can be categorized as microsensors and microactuators. Particularly, attention is directed toward microdevices used for turbulent-flow diagnosis and control.