Uniform flow splitting device and fluid system

Abstract

To provide a uniform flow splitting device which can accurately split flow of a liquid into multiple fluid devices, and to provide a fluid system.SOLUTION: A uniform flow splitting device includes a single substrate provided with a passage which connects one introduction port with a plurality of discharge ports. The passage includes: a flow splitting part which splits a liquid introduced into the introduction port of the substrate into multiple branched passages connected to the discharge ports; and a passage resistance part which is located at the downstream side of the flow splitting part and provides passage resistance to each branched passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to uniform flow distribution devices and fluid systems. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, microfluidic devices in which channels with widths on the order of micrometers are formed on a substrate, and fluid systems using the same to mix liquids and perform chemical reaction processes, etc., have been proposed. In a microfluidic device, the amount of liquid that can be processed by one device is small, but the amount of processing can be increased by connecting multiple fluidic devices in parallel and performing parallel processing. However, fluidic devices have different channel resistances due to individual differences. When fluidic devices with different channel resistances are connected in parallel, the flow rate of liquid flowing through the fluidic devices varies. Therefore, a method has been proposed for making the flow rate of liquid supplied to each fluidic device uniform when performing parallel processing using multiple fluidic devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, a connecting pipe that branches into multiple parts is connected to a liquid delivery pump, and the branched pipes are connected to each of the multiple fluid devices arranged in parallel with each other using compensation pipes. The compensation pipes have a large flow resistance by reducing the inner diameter and / or increasing the length. Patent Document 1 intends to distribute liquid evenly to the fluid devices by setting the flow resistance of the compensation pipe to be sufficiently larger than the flow resistance of the downstream fluid device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Application No. 2006-263546 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the method of Patent Document 1, the flow path resistance may vary between each of the branched pipes of the connection pipe. Also, the flow path resistance may vary at the connection between the connection pipe and the correction pipe. As a result, in the method of Patent Document 1, the flow path resistance of each flow path varies greatly, making it difficult to precisely divide the liquid.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure, which has been made in light of these points, is to provide a uniform flow distribution device and a fluid system that can distribute liquid to a plurality of fluid devices with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A uniform flow distribution device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a single substrate having a flow path connecting an inlet and a plurality of outlets, the flow path including a flow distribution section that distributes liquid introduced into the inlet of the substrate into a plurality of branch flow paths leading to the outlets, and a flow path resistance section that is located downstream of the flow distribution section and provides a flow path resistance to each of the branch flow paths.

[0008] (2) In the uniform flow-dividing device of (1) above, the flow-dividing section may include one or more stages of branching sections that sequentially branch the flow path into two at each stage.

[0009] (3) In the uniform flow dividing device of (1) or (2) above, the flow dividing section has three stages of branching sections, and can branch the flow path into eight branch flow paths. By increasing the number of branching stages, the number of branches can be increased.

[0010] (4) In any one of the uniform flow distribution devices (1) to (3) above, the flow distribution section may have a shape that is linearly symmetrical about an axis of symmetry that includes the inlet.

[0011] (5) In the flow path resistance portion of the uniform flow division device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, the branch flow paths may have a coefficient of variation of flow path resistance of less than 5%.

[0012] (6) In the flow path resistance portion of the uniform flow division device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, the branch flow paths may be formed to have the same shape as one another.

[0013] (7) In the flow path resistance portion of the uniform flow division device of any one of (1) to (6) above, the branch flow paths may be formed smaller in at least one of width and depth than the flow paths in the flow division portion.

[0014] (8) In the flow path resistance portion of the uniform flow division device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, the branch flow path may be formed as a flow path that travels back and forth within the substrate.

[0015] (9) In the uniform flow dividing device according to any one of (1) to (8) above, the lengths of the branch flow paths may be approximately equal to each other.

[0016] (10) In any one of the uniform flow distribution devices (1) to (9) above, the difference between the maximum and minimum flow rates of the liquid discharged from the multiple outlets may be 5% or less of the average flow rate.

[0017] (11) In the uniform flow distribution device according to any one of (1) to (10) above, the substrate may be formed from a material having chemical resistance.

[0018] (12) In the uniform flow dividing device of (11) above, the chemically resistant material may be glass, a polyether ether ketone material, ceramics, or a metal.

[0019] (13) A fluid system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a uniform flow distribution device, a liquid delivery mechanism, and a plurality of fluid devices. The uniform flow distribution device includes a single substrate provided with a flow path connecting one inlet and a plurality of outlets. The flow path includes a diversion section that diverts liquid introduced into the inlet of the substrate into a plurality of branch flow paths connected to the outlets, and a flow path resistance section that is located downstream of the diversion section and provides flow path resistance to each of the branch flow paths. The liquid delivery mechanism delivers liquid to the inlet of the uniform flow distribution device. The plurality of fluid devices perform operations on liquid discharged from each of the outlets of the uniform flow distribution device.

[0020] (14) In the fluid system described above in (13), a pressure drop due to flow resistance of any branch flow path of the flow resistance portion may be greater than a pressure drop due to flow resistance of the fluid device located downstream of the branch flow path.

[0021] (15) In the fluid system of (13) or (14) above, an average value of the flow resistance of the branch flow paths of the flow path resistance portion may be greater than an average value of the flow path resistance of the fluid devices.

[0022] (16) In any of the fluid systems (13) to (15) above, an average flow resistance of the branch flow paths of the flow path resistance portion may be 10 or more times greater than an average flow resistance of the fluid devices. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the uniform flow diversion device and fluid system of the present disclosure, a single substrate of the uniform flow diversion device is provided with a diversion section that diverts liquid into multiple branch flow paths, and a flow path resistance section that imparts flow path resistance to the branch flow paths, thereby enabling liquid to be precisely diverted to multiple fluid devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a fluid system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the uniform flow division device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the fluidic device of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an evaluation apparatus for a uniform flow division device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation result of the uniform flow dividing device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] 1, a fluid system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a uniform flow distribution device 10, a liquid delivery pump 20 which is a liquid delivery mechanism, and a plurality of fluid devices 30. The fluid device 30 may be a microfluidic device having a minute flow path with a flow path width of up to about 500 μm (micrometers). The fluid system 1 may be a microfluidic system including a microfluidic device.

[0027] The fluid device 30, which is a microfluidic device, can perform operations such as mixing and / or reaction between liquids. The fluid device 30 has various advantages that could not be obtained with conventional fluidic devices having a channel width of several mm (millimeters) or more. For example, in a mixing operation, it is known that if the channel width is made 1 / 10 of that of the conventional technology, the mixing time becomes about 1 / 100. Therefore, an operation that required 1 hour with the conventional technology can be completed within 1 minute. Furthermore, in a reaction operation, the reaction is completed instantly, so the generation of by-products is suppressed and the reaction yield is significantly improved.

[0028] In the fluid system 1, the liquid supplied from the liquid delivery pump 20 is precisely divided so as to be substantially uniform by the uniform flow dividing device 10, and the uniform flow dividing device 10 is connected to a plurality of fluid devices 30 connected in parallel. The plurality of fluid devices 30 are devices that perform the same operation on the same liquid. However, the individual fluid devices 30 often have different flow path resistances because of large individual differences due to dimensional tolerances in the height, width, and length of the flow paths. Unlike the present embodiment, when the liquid supplied from the same liquid delivery mechanism is connected to the plurality of fluid devices 30 by a pipe branched into a plurality of paths, the flow rate of the liquid supplied to each of the fluid devices 30 may be uneven due to differences in the flow path resistance of the fluid devices 30. Specifically, the liquid flows more into a flow path with a lower flow path resistance. If the liquids flowing through the plurality of fluid devices 30 are not equal to each other in flow rate, the reaction efficiency in the fluid device 30 may decrease.

[0029] For this reason, the uniform flow distribution device 10 of this embodiment is configured to distribute the liquid substantially uniformly with high accuracy by the flow paths 14 formed on the same substrate, and to have a flow path resistance higher than that of the fluidic device 30. The configuration of each part of the fluid system 1 will be described below.

[0030] Note that flow resistance is a force that occurs in the opposite direction to the flow of a fluid when trying to make the fluid flow through a flow channel. In microchannel devices, the flow resistance is likely to increase due to the minute flow channel structure. The loss of energy due to flow channel resistance is called pressure loss. In a fluid, pressure loss causes the pressure downstream to be lower than the pressure upstream.

[0031] (Uniform flow distribution device) The uniform flow distribution device 10 includes a single substrate 11. A flow path 14 is formed in the substrate 11, connecting one inlet 12 and a plurality of outlets 13. The flow path 14 has an upstream side and a downstream side defined based on the flow direction of the liquid supplied from the liquid delivery pump 20. As viewed from the uniform flow distribution device 10, the liquid delivery pump 20 side is the upstream side, and the fluidic device 30 side is the downstream side.

[0032] The substrate 11 is a rectangular plate-like member in a plan view. However, the shape of the substrate 11 is not limited to this. The size of the substrate 11 can be set arbitrarily. For example, the size of the substrate 11 can be on the order of several centimeters (cm) to several tens of cm in a plan view. The thickness of the substrate 11 can be on the order of several mm to several cm. The substrate 11 is formed of a material having chemical resistance. The chemical resistant material is, for example, glass or polyether ether ketone (PEEK) material, but is not limited to these. Ceramics or metals can also be used as the chemical resistant material.

[0033] The inlet 12 is an opening that receives liquid supplied from the outside to the uniform flow distribution device 10. The inlet 12 is located at the upstream end of the flow path 14. The inlet 12 may be disposed on one of the widest planes of the substrate 11, for example, on the upper surface. The inlet 12 is connected to the liquid feed pump 20 via a tube 41. The connection between the liquid feed pump 20 and the tube 41 and the connection between the tube 41 and the inlet 12 are tightly sealed so as to prevent leakage of liquid. The same is true for the connection between other tubes 42, 43, and 44 described below and any device. The tube 41 feeds the liquid supplied from the liquid feed pump 20 to the inlet 12. The tube 41 and the tubes 42, 43, and 44 described below can be made of PEEK resin in terms of chemical resistance, heat resistance, pressure resistance, and the like.

[0034] The outlets 13 are openings for discharging the fluid that has flowed through the flow paths 14 of the uniform flow diversion device 10 to the outside of the uniform flow diversion device 10. The outlets 13 are located at the downstream ends of the respective branch flow paths 17. The outlets 13 may be located on one of the widest flat surfaces of the substrate 11, for example, on the upper surface. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the number of the outlets 13 is eight, but the number of the outlets 13 is not limited to this. Each of the multiple outlets 13 is connected to one of the fluidic devices 30 by a tube 42.

[0035] The flow channel 14 is, for example, a minute micro-flow channel with a flow channel width on the order of μm. However, the width of the flow channel 14 is not limited to this range. The flow channel 14 passes a fluid from the upstream side to the downstream side. The flow channel 14 can be formed in the substrate 11 using a known technique. For example, the flow channel 14 can be formed by forming an open groove that becomes the flow channel 14 in the substrate of the first layer of the substrate, and then bonding the substrate of the second layer of the substrate so as to close the open groove.

[0036] The flow path 14 includes a flow dividing section 15 and a flow path resistance section 16 located downstream of the flow dividing section 15 .

[0037] In the flow dividing section 15, the flow path 14 precisely divides the liquid introduced into the inlet 12 of the substrate 11 so as to be approximately uniform into a plurality of branch flow paths 17 connected to the discharge port 13. The branch flow path 17 is a part of the flow path 14. The flow dividing section 15 is configured to include one or more branch sections 15a, 15b, 15c that evenly branch the flow path 14 into two flow paths.

[0038] The flow dividing section 15 may include one or more stages of branching sections 15a, 15b, 15c that sequentially branch the flow path 14 into two at each stage. At each stage, the flow dividing section 15 further branches the flow path 14 branched at the upper stage into two evenly spaced flow paths. When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate 11, i.e., in a plan view, the flow dividing section 15 may have a shape that is linearly symmetrical about an axis of symmetry that includes the inlet 12 and extends toward the flow resistance section.

[0039] For example, in the example of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the flow dividing section 15 has three stages of branching sections 15a, 15b, and 15c, and branches the flow path 14 into eight branch flow paths 17a to 17h. The branch flow paths 17a to 17h are individual branch flow paths 17 included in the plurality of branch flow paths 17. The first stage branching section 15a is disposed upstream closest to the inlet 12. The first stage branching section 15a evenly branches the flow path 14 connected to the inlet 12 into two flow paths 14. The second stage branching section 15b is disposed in each of the flow paths 14 downstream of the first stage branching section 15a. The second stage branching section 15b evenly branches each of the two flow paths 14 branched by the first stage branching section 15a into two flow paths 14. That is, the flow path 14 is evenly branched into a total of four by the two second stage branching sections 15b. The third-stage branching portion 15c evenly branches each of the four flow paths branched by the second-stage branching portion 15b into two flow paths 14. That is, the flow path 14 is evenly branched into a total of eight branch flow paths 17a to 17h by the four third-stage branching portions 15c. Here, each of the branching portions 15a, 15b, and 15c branches the upstream flow path 14 into downstream flow paths 14 of substantially the same shape arranged symmetrically. Here, in the present application, "branching the flow path evenly" means that the liquid flowing through the branching portions 15a, 15b, and 15c is evenly branched within a range considering manufacturing errors and the like under the condition that the downstream flow path resistance is equal. Also, "dividing the liquid evenly" means that the liquid is divided into equal amounts. That is, even if the branching portions 15a, 15b, and 15c evenly branch the flow path 14, the liquid may not be evenly branched due to the downstream flow path resistance.

[0040] For example, if the branching section branches the flow path 14 into three, it is difficult to branch the flow path 14 so that the flow rate is uniform because the branched central flow path and the flow paths on both sides are not symmetrical. In contrast, the branching sections 15a, 15b, and 15c each branch the flow path 14 into two, so that the two flow paths after branching can be arranged so that they are symmetrical to each other. Therefore, if the flow path resistance on the downstream side is the same, the liquid can be divided uniformly and accurately. In the uniform flow division device 10 of the present disclosure, the branching sections 15a, 15b, and 15c that evenly branch the flow path into two are arranged in one or more stages, so that the flow path 14 can be divided uniformly and accurately into multiple branch flow paths 17.

[0041] Flow path resistance section 16 is located downstream of diverter section 15, and provides flow path resistance to each branch flow path 17. The flow path resistance of each branch flow path 17 of flow path resistance section 16 is 10 or more times or 100 or more times greater than the flow path resistance from inlet 12 to branching into branch flow paths 17 by diverter section 15. This makes it possible to reduce the effect on the flow rate of each branch flow path 17 even if unevenness occurs between flow paths 14 branched by diverter section 15.

[0042] The flow path resistance section 16 can be configured so that the drop pressure of the liquid flowing in the fluid system 1 due to the flow path resistance of any branch flow path 17 is greater than the drop pressure of the liquid due to the flow path resistance of the fluidic device 30 located downstream of the branch flow path 17. The drop pressure due to the flow path resistance of the branch flow path 17 may be 10 times or more the drop pressure due to the flow path resistance of the fluidic device 30.

[0043] Moreover, the average value of the flow resistance of each branch flow path 17 of the flow path resistance section 16 is greater than the average value of the flow resistance of each fluid device 30 to which each branch flow path 17 is connected. For example, the average value of the flow resistance of each branch flow path 17 of the flow path resistance section 16 may be 10 times or more the average value of the flow resistance of each fluid device 30 to which each branch flow path 17 is connected. Moreover, the flow resistance of each branch flow path 17 of the flow path resistance section 16 may be greater than the flow resistance of the fluid device 30 to which the branch flow path 17 is connected. For example, the flow resistance of each branch flow path 17 of the flow path resistance section 16 may be 10 times or more the flow resistance of the individual fluid device 30 to which the branch flow path 17 is connected. Moreover, the average value of the pressure loss in the flow path resistance section 16 of the liquid passing through the multiple branch flow paths 17 may be 1 time or more or 10 times or more greater than the average value of the pressure loss in the fluid device 30 of the liquid passing through the multiple fluid devices 30.

[0044] In order to increase the flow path resistance, in the flow path resistance section 16, the multiple branch flow paths 17 may be formed to be smaller in at least one of width and depth than the flow paths 14 in the flow division section 15. Also, in order to increase the flow path resistance, in the flow path resistance section 16, the branch flow paths 17 may be formed as flow paths that travel to and from a predetermined region assigned to each branch flow path 17 in the substrate 11. This increases the length of the branch flow paths 17 and increases the flow path resistance by including a bend in the flow path.

[0045] The multiple branch flow paths 17 are configured to have approximately equal flow path resistances. Therefore, the multiple branch flow paths 17 may be formed to have approximately equal shapes. Furthermore, the lengths of the multiple branch flow paths 17 may be approximately equal except for an error. It is preferable that the multiple branch flow paths 17 have a coefficient of variation of flow path resistance of less than 5%. The coefficient of variation of flow path resistance is a value obtained by dividing the deviation value of the flow path resistances of all the branch flow paths 17 by the average value. If the coefficient of variation of flow path resistance is less than 5%, the flow path resistances of the multiple branch flow paths 17 can be considered to be approximately equal to each other.

[0046] (liquid transfer pump) The liquid delivery pump 20 is a device that supplies liquid, which is a raw material for a chemical reaction in the fluidic device 30, to the uniform flow division device 10 via a tube 41. The liquid delivery pump 20 delivers liquid stored in a raw material tank or the like to the tube 41. The liquid delivery pump 20 is, for example, a syringe pump or a diaphragm pump, but is not limited to these. Other types of pumps can also be used as the liquid delivery pump 20.

[0047] (Fluid Devices) 3, the fluidic device 30 includes a substrate 31. As an example, the substrate 31 is formed with a flow path 35 that connects a first inlet 32 ​​and a second inlet 33 to a discharge port 34.

[0048] The first inlet 32 ​​is connected to the corresponding outlet 13 of the uniform flow distribution device 10 via a tube 42. The tube 42 delivers the liquid discharged from the outlet 13 of the uniform flow distribution device 10 to the first inlet 32. The first inlet 32 ​​receives one of the liquids diverted by the uniform flow distribution device 10.

[0049] The second inlet 33 is connected to another liquid delivery mechanism or another fluid device via a tube 43. The tube 43 supplies liquid from the other liquid delivery mechanism or another fluid device to the fluid device 30 for mixing with and chemically reacting with the liquid supplied from the liquid delivery pump 20.

[0050] Flow paths 35 connected from first inlet 32 ​​and second inlet 33 join at a junction 36 downstream of first inlet 32 ​​and second inlet 33. A mixing / reaction flow path 37 is disposed downstream of junction 36 so as to travel back and forth multiple times within substrate 31. The liquid introduced from first inlet 32 ​​and the liquid introduced from second inlet 33 are mixed while flowing through mixing / reaction flow path 37, which is part of flow path 35, and a chemical reaction proceeds due to reactants contained in each liquid.

[0051] A liquid containing a product produced as a result of a chemical reaction in the mixing / reaction channel 37 is discharged from the discharge port 34 into a tube 44. As shown in Fig. 1, by arranging a plurality of fluidic devices 30 in parallel, the yield of the product can be increased according to the number of fluidic devices 30.

[0052] With the above-mentioned configuration, the uniform flow diversion device 10 according to this embodiment has the flow diversion section 15 and the flow path resistance section 16 arranged on the same substrate 11. This makes it possible to suppress the variation in flow path resistance compared to the case where the flow diversion section 15 and the flow path resistance section 16 are separate components and connected between them using a connector, a liquid delivery tube, or the like, which is likely to cause variation in the flow path resistance. In addition, by configuring the flow diversion section 15 to have one or more stages of branch sections 15a, 15b, and 15c that evenly branch the flow path 14 into two, the uniform flow diversion device 10 can divert the liquid even more uniformly.

[0053] Furthermore, in the fluid system 1 according to this embodiment, the flow path resistances of the flow path resistance sections 16 of the uniform flow division device 10 are approximately equal to each other, and the average value is greater than the average value of the flow path resistance of the fluidic device 30. Therefore, even if there are individual differences in the flow path resistance of each fluidic device 30, the rate of variation in the flow path resistance as a whole can be suppressed. As a result, the flow rates of the liquid supplied to each fluidic device 30 can be made closer to a uniform flow rate.

[0054] In particular, by making the average flow path resistance of the branch flow paths 17 of the flow path resistance section 16 at least 10 times greater than the average flow path resistance of the plurality of fluidic devices 30, the flow rate of the liquid flowing through the fluidic device 30 becomes more uniform. Furthermore, when the coefficient of variation of the flow path resistance of the plurality of branch flow paths 17 in the flow path resistance section 16 is less than 5%, the effect of variation in the flow path resistance of the flow path resistance section 16 on variation in the flow rate of the liquid supplied to the fluidic device 30 can be kept low.

[0055] (Example) The present inventors have verified the performance of flow division by the uniform flow division device 10 using the apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 4. Some of the reference symbols are omitted in FIG. 4, but in the following description, the reference symbols used in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 will be used as appropriate. In this uniform flow division device 10, borosilicate glass with a plate thickness of 1.4 mm was used as the substrate 11. Furthermore, the flow path 14 in the flow division section 15 had a width of 0.5 mm and a depth of 0.5 mm, and was configured to branch into eight paths as in the examples of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Furthermore, the branch flow paths 17 of the flow path resistance section 16 had a width of 0.1 mm, a depth of 0.03 mm, and a length of 50 mm.

[0056] An IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) solution was delivered from the delivery pump 20 at a flow rate of 60 μL / min to the uniform flow division device 10. The flow rate of the IPA solution discharged from each discharge port 13 into the collection container 52 after passing through the flow path resistance portion 16 was measured by a precision balance. A pressure sensor 51 for measuring the pressure inside the tube 41 is provided midway through the tube 41. The pressure sensor 51 is used to detect abnormalities such as leaks, air bubbles, or blockages.

[0057] 5(a)-(f) show the results of measurements performed six times for different uniform flow-dividing devices 10. The eight bar graphs in each of FIG. 5(a)-(f) show the flow rates of the solutions discharged from the eight outlets 13. The right side of the graphs shows the difference from 7.50 μL / min as a percentage. 7.50 μL / min is the value obtained by dividing the flow rate of the liquid delivery pump 20, 60 μL / min, into eight equal parts. In this way, the ratio of the difference between the flow rate of the actually diverted liquid and the flow rate when the liquid before the diverting is diverted uniformly is called the liquid delivery accuracy. In all of FIG. 5(a)-(f), the liquid delivery accuracy was less than ±2.5%. In this way, if the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the outlet 13 is 5% or less of the average flow rate, the liquid delivery accuracy can be said to be high.

[0058] The above measurements were performed without connecting the fluidic device 30 downstream. However, even if a fluidic device 30 is further connected to each outlet 13, as long as the flow path resistance of the fluidic device 30 is smaller than the flow path resistance of the flow path resistance section 16, the effect on the total flow path resistance of each flow path branched by the uniform flow division device 10 is relatively small. For example, assume that the average value of the flow path resistance of the flow path resistance section 16 is 10 times the average value of the flow path resistance of the fluidic device 30. Even if the flow path resistance of the fluidic device 30 varies by 30%, the variation is only about 3% when viewed from the overall flow path resistance of each flow path after branching at the flow division section 15.

[0059] The inventors of the present invention performed the same measurement without using the uniform flow-dividing device 10, by connecting eight branched connection pipes to the liquid-transfer pump 20 as in the conventional technology, and connecting a thin-diameter tube with an inner diameter of 0.05 mm and a length of 50 cm to each of the branched pipes. The resulting liquid-transfer accuracy was ±10 to 20%. In addition, since this liquid-transfer accuracy changed every time the device was assembled, it is considered that the influence of errors caused by human factors is large. As a human factor, it is assumed that the most influential cause is the deformation of the tube cross section that occurs when the thin tube is cut. When the thin tube is cut with a cutter or the like, the tube cross section may be plastically deformed and the cross-sectional area may be reduced. In addition, if the thin tube is not cut perpendicular to the central axis, the tube end face and the device or seal material may not come into uniform contact with each other, and the tube tip may be deformed, causing a partial blockage of the flow path.

[0060] Therefore, the uniform flow diversion device 10 used in this embodiment has a higher liquid delivery accuracy than the conventional technology. This is because the flow diversion section 15 and the flow path resistance section 16 are provided on the same substrate 11. When the uniform flow diversion device 10 used in this embodiment is applied to the fluid system 1, it becomes possible to deliver liquid at a more uniform flow rate to the fluid device 30 compared to the conventional technology.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many modifications or changes are possible. The configurations of the uniform flow distribution device 10, the fluid device 30, and the fluid system 1 of the above-described embodiment are merely examples. Addition, omission, substitution, and other modifications of the configurations are possible as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0062] The fluidic device 30 of the present disclosure has been described as a microfluidic device with a flow channel width on the order of μm. However, the dimensions of the flow channels of the fluidic device 30 of the present disclosure are not limited to this. The fluidic device 30 may have a flow channel width of 1 mm or more, or a flow channel width of less than 1 μm.

[0063] For example, in the above embodiment, the flow dividing section 15 of the uniform flow dividing device 10 branches the flow path 14 in three stages. However, the flow dividing section 15 may branch the flow path in one stage, two stages, or four or more stages. The number of branches can be increased by increasing the number of branching stages. The shapes and arrangements of the flow paths 14 of the flow dividing section 15 and the flow path resistance section 16 of the uniform flow dividing device 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 are merely examples. Devices with various flow path configurations can be created as the uniform flow dividing device 10. Also, in the above embodiment, the inlet 12 and the outlet 13 are arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 11. However, the arrangement of the inlet 12 and the outlet 13 is not limited to this. The inlet 12 and the outlet 13 may be arranged on the side surface of the substrate 11, for example.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the fluidic device 30 performs operations such as liquid mixing and chemical reaction. However, the operations performed by the fluidic device 30 are not limited to these. The operations performed by the fluidic device 30 may include liquid-phase mixing, liquid-phase reaction, gas-liquid mixing, gas-liquid reaction, extraction, distillation, concentration, slurry mixing, solid-phase extraction, particle separation / liquid separation, crystallization, cell culture, and the like. In addition, the fluid passing through the flow paths of the uniform flow division device 10 and the fluidic device 30 is not limited to only liquids and may include gases. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Fluid Systems 10 Uniform flow distribution device 11 Substrate 12 Introduction 13,13a-13h Discharge port 14 Flow Path 15 Diversion section 15a First stage branch 15b Second stage branch 15c Third stage branch 16 Flow path resistance 17,17a-17h Branch channel 20 Liquid delivery pump (liquid delivery mechanism) 30 Fluid Devices 31 Substrate 32 First entrance 33 Second entrance 34 Discharge port 35 Flow Path 36 Junction 37 Mixing and reaction channels 41-44 Tube 51 Pressure Sensor 52 Collection container

Claims

1. A single substrate is provided with a flow path connecting one inlet and a plurality of outlets, The flow path is a flow dividing section that divides the liquid introduced into the inlet of the substrate into a plurality of branch flow paths that are connected to the ejection outlet; a flow resistance portion that is located downstream of the branch portion and that provides a flow resistance to each of the branch flow paths; A uniform flow distribution device comprising:

2. The uniform flow dividing device according to claim 1 , wherein the flow dividing section includes one or more stages of branching sections that sequentially branch the flow path into two at each stage.

3. The uniform flow dividing device according to claim 2 , wherein the flow dividing section includes three stages of the branching section, and divides the flow path into eight branch flow paths.

4. The uniform flow dividing device according to claim 1 , wherein the flow dividing portion has a shape that is symmetrical about an axis of symmetry that includes the inlet.

5. The uniform flow-dividing device according to claim 1 , wherein in the flow resistance section, the branch flow paths have a coefficient of variation of flow path resistance of less than 5%.

6. The uniform flow-dividing device according to claim 1 , wherein in the flow path resistance portion, the branch flow paths are formed to have the same shape as one another.

7. The uniform flow division device according to claim 1 , wherein in the flow resistance portion, the branch flow paths are formed to be smaller in at least one of width and depth than the flow paths in the flow division portion.

8. The uniform flow division device according to claim 1 , wherein in the flow path resistance portion, the branch flow path is formed as a flow path going back and forth within the substrate.

9. The uniform flow-dividing device according to claim 1 , wherein the lengths of the branched flow paths are approximately equal to each other.

10. The uniform flow distribution device according to claim 1 , wherein a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the flow rate of the liquid discharged from the plurality of discharge ports is 5% or less of an average value of the flow rate.

11. The uniform flow distribution device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is made of a chemically resistant material.

12. 12. The uniform flow distribution device of claim 11, wherein the chemically resistant material is glass, a polyetheretherketone material, a ceramic, or a metal.

13. a uniform flow dividing device comprising a single substrate provided with flow paths connecting one inlet and a plurality of discharge ports, the flow paths including a flow dividing section that divides a liquid introduced into the inlet of the substrate into a plurality of branch flow paths connected to the discharge ports, and a flow path resistance section that is located downstream of the flow dividing section and provides a flow path resistance to each of the branch flow paths; a liquid delivery mechanism that delivers liquid to the inlet of the uniform flow distribution device; a plurality of fluid devices that perform operations on the liquid discharged from each of the discharge ports of the uniform flow distribution device; A fluid system comprising:

14. The fluid system according to claim 13 , wherein a pressure drop due to the flow resistance of any of the branch flow paths of the flow resistance portion is greater than a pressure drop due to the flow resistance of the fluid device located downstream of the branch flow path.

15. The fluid system according to claim 13 , wherein an average value of the flow resistance of the branch flow paths of the flow path resistance portion is greater than an average value of the flow resistance of the plurality of the fluid devices.

16. The fluid system according to claim 13 , wherein an average value of flow resistance of the branch flow paths of the flow path resistance portion is 10 times or more greater than an average value of flow path resistance of the plurality of fluid devices.

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