AlexHu2026/microfluidic-pressure-drop-benchmark

Microfluidic Straight-Tube Pressure-Drop Benchmark

This small, deterministic engineering dataset contains 420 straight-tube pressure-drop cases spanning tube internal diameter, length, volumetric flow rate, and dynamic viscosity. It is intended for equation verification, unit-conversion tests, engineering education, tabular regression experiments, and first-pass fluid-path screening.

Why this dataset exists

Small changes in tube internal diameter can dominate a microfluidic pressure budget. Under the assumptions of the Hagen–Poiseuille relation,

ΔP = 128 μ L Q / (π d⁴)

pressure drop is inversely proportional to the fourth power of tube diameter. A 0.5 mm tube therefore has 16 times the straight-tube pressure drop of a 1.0 mm tube at the same length, flow, and viscosity.

The dataset turns that sensitivity into a transparent parameter grid that can be reproduced without proprietary software.

Parameter grid

Parameter	Values
Tube internal diameter	0.30, 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.80, 1.00, 1.20 mm
Tube length	0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 m
Flow rate	0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00 mL/min
Dynamic viscosity	1.0, 2.0, 5.0 mPa·s
Density	998 kg/m³ (fixed)

All 420 combinations are generated. The largest Reynolds number in the grid is approximately 141, so every row remains within the intended laminar screening regime.

Columns

Column	Meaning
case_id	Stable row identifier
tube_id_mm	Tube internal diameter in millimetres
tube_length_m	Straight-tube length in metres
flow_rate_ml_min	Volumetric flow rate in mL/min
dynamic_viscosity_mpa_s	Dynamic viscosity in mPa·s
density_kg_m3	Fluid density in kg/m³
mean_velocity_m_s	Calculated mean velocity
reynolds_number	Calculated pipe Reynolds number
pressure_drop_pa	Calculated straight-tube pressure drop in Pa
pressure_drop_kpa	Calculated straight-tube pressure drop in kPa
relative_pressure_drop_vs_1mm	Diameter-only pressure ratio relative to 1.00 mm ID
screening_regime	Intended model regime for the row

Files

• microfluidic_pressure_drop_benchmark.csv — the 420-row dataset;
• build_dataset.py — reproducible generator using SI units;
• pressure_drop_sensitivity.png — plotted diameter and viscosity sensitivity;
• README.md — dataset card, assumptions, limitations, and provenance.

Run the generator with Python 3 and Pillow:

python build_dataset.py

Assumptions and limitations

This is a screening dataset, not a universal product-performance specification. The calculation assumes fully developed laminar flow of a Newtonian, incompressible fluid through a rigid, straight, circular tube.

It does not include entrance and exit losses, bends, tees, reducers, connectors, filters, valves, manifolds, nozzles, tube deformation, tolerance distributions, temperature-dependent viscosity, pulsatile flow, compressibility, multiphase flow, particles, or non-Newtonian rheology. Complete fluid paths should be validated with component loss data and bench testing.

Interactive verification

To vary diameter, length, flow rate, and viscosity interactively, use the FOREACH Fluid Resistance and Pressure Drop Calculator.

Disclosure: the author works with Shenzhen Foreach Technology Co., Ltd. The external calculator is identified because it reproduces the same first-pass engineering relation; this dataset remains independently downloadable and reproducible.

Suggested citation

Hu, Alex. Microfluidic Straight-Tube Pressure-Drop Benchmark. Shenzhen Foreach Technology Co., Ltd., 2026.

License

Dataset, code, documentation, and figure are released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.