Syringe pumps are positive displacement pumps which are used either in hospital environments as an infusion pump to administer fluids (with out without medication) in a controlled manner to patients. It is also commonly used in mini to microfluidic biomedical applications. The main advantage of syringe pumps in experiments are the precise delivery of fluids at constant flow rates compared to other pumps which operate based on a rotor where some fluctuations in the flow rates can be expected. The main disadvantage of positive displacement pumps is the limited operational volume.
Common commercial syringe pumps are constant volume and aim to deliver fluids at constant flowrates. However certain selected applications require syringe pumps that operate on constant pressure.
A constant pressure syringe pump (operated with a pneumatic cylinder) is available, and the project aims to improve the current through the addition of additional cylinder-syringes which allows it to operate in a continuous manner (when one syringe is dispensing, the other syringe is filling up). In addition, it is also required for the system to measure the flow rate. These require the implementation of sensors and readout, code writing to coordinate the syringes.
This project can accommodate two candidates working together and may require physical time in the workshop on campus.
The ideal candidates should be familiar with hall sensors and coding (preferably Arduino).
Wei Hua Ho