---
license: cc-by-4.0
language:
- en
pretty_name: Microfluidic Straight-Tube Pressure-Drop Benchmark
tags:
- microfluidics
- fluidics
- pressure-drop
- hagen-poiseuille
- ivd
- laboratory-automation
- engineering
- python
size_categories:
- n<1K
configs:
- config_name: default
  data_files:
  - split: train
    path: microfluidic_pressure_drop_benchmark.csv
---

# 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.

![Pressure-drop sensitivity to tube diameter](pressure_drop_sensitivity.png)

## Why this dataset exists

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

```text
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:

```bash
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](https://www.foreachtek.com/en/resources/calculators/fluid-resistance/).

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](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license.