Generating complex emulsion droplets that can be used to fabricate highly compartmentalized microconstructs is difficult to achieve with classic droplet-forming fluidic junctions. These junctions have simple geometries, which can result in a narrow range of flow rate control. To address this issue, one research group designed an oscillatory microfluidic junction with a more complicated geometry. This junction, called the bat-wing junction, can consistently produce uniform and complex double-emulsion droplets, with bespoke components and encapsulated reagents.

Compliance testing is used to ensure that various products, processes, and systems meet standard requirements. Just as important as these tests is the equipment used to perform them. This testing equipment must be designed so that it delivers precise measurements that are reflective of real-world performance. RF modeling is a useful approach to analyzing and optimizing such devices, generating greater confidence in the measurements they obtain. To showcase this, we’ll look at a well-known equipment choice in EMC/EMI testing…

To treat cerebral aneurysms, doctors can use endovascular methods, like flow-diverting stents, that alter blood flow and reduce the risk of rupture. When studying these methods, researchers normally assume that the blood flowing around the stent is a Newtonian fluid. This might be inaccurate, since blood flow around stents is slower than normal. Using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, researchers tested the accuracy of modeling blood flow as a Newtonian fluid by comparing it to a more realistic non-Newtonian model.

Noncommunicable diseases place a socioeconomic strain on low- to middle-income countries. The advent of noninvasive technology offers a solution, effectively diagnosing, preventing, and treating these diseases at a lower cost. For chronic kidney disease, one type of noncommunicable disease, such advancements are important because current methods are expensive and prone to error. As simulation research shows, sensors based on complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs) provide an inexpensive way to accurately monitor chronic kidney disease.

Modeling acoustically large problems requires a memory-efficient approach like the discontinuous Galerkin method. To make solving these types of problems easier, we’ve added a new physics interface based on this method to the Acoustics Module: the Convected Wave Equation, Time Explicit interface. It can include a stationary background flow and is suited for modeling linear ultrasound applications. Today, we will explore how to use this interface with the example of an ultrasound flow meter.

Today, guest blogger Thomas Clavet of EMC3 Consulting, a COMSOL Certified Consultant, discusses simulating phased array and geometrically focused probes. Ultrasound focusing is widely used in various industrial applications, such as nondestructive testing (NDT) and medical imaging. For clinical applications, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a specific aspect of this technology where most of the power provided by the probe is carried to a targeted zone to coagulate biological tissues. This blog post discusses ultrasound focusing simulation.

Today, guest blogger Guigen Zhang, professor of bioengineering at Clemson University, talks about his new textbook on computational modeling for biomedical applications. This blog post discusses Integrative Engineering: A Computational Approach to Biomedical Problems, including its content and the intended readers; the purpose and motivation for writing this book; and most importantly, how getting an in-depth understanding of the “intricate machinery” of computational modeling will help make you a better modeler.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems must produce high-resolution images in order for doctors to accurately diagnose their patients. To achieve this level of image quality, there must be a known reliable base magnetic field distribution within the MRI machine and its components, such as birdcage coils. This is where simulation comes in. By designing MRI birdcage coils with the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, you can manipulate and optimize the magnetic field and improve the scanned data that MRI machines generate.

If bubbles in a microfluidic device become stuck, it can cause the device to malfunction. Bubble entrapment depends on several factors, including the geometry and flow characteristics of the microchannel, as well as the surface properties of its walls. To study these aspects, Veryst Engineering modeled a bubble in a microchannel using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. Today, we look at their results, which shed light on the device geometries and contact angles that lead to bubble entrapment.

When designing needles for drug delivery, one major challenge is balancing the comfort of the patient with the effectiveness of the injection. By applying an approach that combines “first principles” thinking and modeling, Eli Lilly and Company optimized the design of a needle for an insulin injection pen, while keeping patient experience in mind. In a keynote talk from the COMSOL Conference 2016 Boston, Bernard McGarvey of Eli Lilly discusses this process.