Date of Award

12-2014

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Campus-Only Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biological Engineering

Advisor

Michael D. Mason

Second Committee Member

Douglas W. Bousfield

Third Committee Member

Paul J. Millard

Abstract

Fluid flow in porous materials represents an important aspect for a number of applications ranging from point of care devices to aquifer management. Darcy's law provides a mathematical description of how and why fluid flows from one location to another in a porous material based upon fluid and material specific properties including pore size, contact angle, and permeability. These parameters were found to vary from sample to sample which can impact flow rates significantly. A Darcy's Law based model for a specific point of care system has been created and expanded to calculate wicking time while being able to predict flow discrepancy as a result of expected sample variation in permeability. This model will allow researchers and engineers to alter production methods of porous matrices to account for specific ranges of flow rates in time sensitive applications such as point of care enzyme linked immunosorbent assays.

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