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Laminar Flow Not Affecting Electroanalysis Results — Dean Flow Not Observed
Posted Apr 1, 2026, 10:58 a.m. EDT Version 6.4 0 Replies
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I am modeling a microfluidic electrochemical system in COMSOL using a two-step study: (1) a stationary Laminar Flow (spf) solution to obtain the velocity field, followed by (2) a time-dependent Electroanalysis (tcd) study for cyclic voltammetry (CV). The intention is for the velocity field from the laminar flow solution to be used in the electroanalysis step so that convection influences species transport and, consequently, the electrochemical response.
However, I am not observing any change in the CV results when varying flow rate or channel curvature (including geometries where Dean flow is clearly present in the velocity field). The concentration profiles at the working electrode appear unchanged across different flow conditions, suggesting that convection is not being accounted for in the electroanalysis solution.
In the time-dependent study step, Laminar Flow is unchecked (not solved), and I have set “Values of variables not solved for” to use the solution from the stationary study. Despite this, the electroanalysis results remain insensitive to flow.
Is there something I may be missing in properly coupling the laminar flow solution to the electroanalysis physics (e.g., enabling convection in species transport, required multiphysics coupling, or solver configuration)? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Hello Ali Bank
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