Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Two-Phase Patterns in a Cross-Junction Microfluidic Chip

Author(s):  
Aritra Sur ◽  
Lixin Yang ◽  
Dong Liu

Two-phase microfluidic systems have been found in a wide range of engineering applications. Accurate determination of the two-phase flow patterns in microchannels is crucial to selecting appropriate predictive tools for pressure drop, heat and mass transfer in the microfluidic devices. Most of the prevailing two-phase flow maps developed using visualization techniques are unable to reveal the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the formation of specific flow pattern under given flow conditions. In this work, the high-speed photographic method is employed to study the liquid-gas two-phase flow in a cross-junction microfluidic chip with a rectangular cross section of 300 μm by 100 μm. The dynamics of bubbly, slug and annular flows are investigated. Numerical models using the VOF approach are developed to simulate the two-phase mixing and flow pattern formation in the microfluidic device. The roles of the inertia, viscous shear and surface tension forces in forming various two-phase flow patterns are discussed. The experimental results and the simulation data together provide a comprehensive phenomenological description of the key parameters and processes that govern the two-phase flow pattern formation in microfluidic devices.

Author(s):  
Zan Wu ◽  
Zhen Cao ◽  
Bengt Sunden

Flow patterns for water-butanol, water-toluene and water-hexane two-phase flows were visualized in the cross-shaped junctions of three square glass microchannels with hydraulic diameters of 200 μm, 400 μm and 600 μm. Typical flow pattern maps for water-butanol two-phase flow were developed based on Capillary number of the continuous phase and Weber number of the dispersed phase, and compared with a previous flow pattern map in the literature. Three main flow pattern groups were observed, including the tubing/threading regime group, the dripping regime and the jetting regime. The geometry confinement and fluid properties affected the viscous shear and interfacial tension forces and therefore their influence on flow pattern transitions was clarified. Besides, in the dripping regime, the dimensionless slug length can be scaled as a function of the flow rate ratio and the Capillary number of the continuous phase.


1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. O̸. Tengesdal ◽  
C. Sarica ◽  
Z. Schmidt ◽  
D. Doty

A comprehensive mechanistic model is formulated to predict flow patterns, pressure drop, and liquid holdup in vertical upward two-phase flow. The model identifies five flow patterns: bubble, dispersed bubble, slug, churn, and annular. The flow pattern prediction models are the Ansari et al. (1994) model for dispersed bubble and annular flows, the Chokshi (1994) model for bubbly flow, and a new model for churn flow. Separate hydrodynamic models for each flow pattern are proposed. A new hydrodynamic model for churn flow has been developed, while Chokshi’s slug flow model has been modified. The Chokshi and Ansari et al. models have been adopted for bubbly and annular flows, respectively. The model is evaluated using the expanded Tulsa University Fluid Flow Projects (TUFFP) well data bank of 2052 well cases covering a wide range of field data. The model is also compared with the Ansari et al., (1994), Chokshi (1994), Hasan and Kabir (1994), Aziz et al. (1972), and Hagedorn and Brown (1964) methods. The comparison results show that the proposed model performs the best and agrees well with the data.


Author(s):  
Weilin Qu ◽  
Seok-Mann Yoon ◽  
Issam Mudawar

Knowledge of flow pattern and flow pattern transitions is essential to the development of reliable predictive tools for pressure drop and heat transfer in two-phase micro-channel heat sinks. In the present study, experiments were conducted with adiabatic nitrogen-water two-phase flow in a rectangular micro-channel having a 0.406 × 2.032 mm cross-section. Superficial velocities of nitrogen and water ranged from 0.08 to 81.92 m/s and 0.04 to 10.24 m/s, respectively. Flow patterns were first identified using high-speed video imaging, and still photos were then taken for representative patterns. Results reveal that the dominant flow patterns are slug and annular, with bubbly flow occurring only occasionally; stratified and churn flow were never observed. A flow pattern map was constructed and compared with previous maps and predictions of flow pattern transition models. Annual flow is identified as the dominant flow pattern for conditions relevant to two-phase micro-channel heat sinks, and forms the basis for development of a theoretical model for both pressure drop and heat transfer in micro-channels. Features unique to two-phase micro-channel flow, such as laminar liquid and gas flows, smooth liquid-gas interface, and strong entrainment and deposition effects are incorporated into the model. The model shows good agreement with experimental data for water-cooled heat sinks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 837-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yudong Liu ◽  
Dayang Wang ◽  
Yingyu Ren ◽  
Ningde Jin

AbstractDue to the complex flow structure and non-uniform phase distribution in the vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow, an eight-electrode rotating electric field conductance sensor is used to obtain multi-channel conductance signals. The flow patterns of the vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow are classified according to the images obtained from a high-speed camera. Then, we employ the multivariate weighted multi-scale permutation entropy (MWMPE) to detect the instability of flow pattern transition in the gas-liquid two-phase flow. Afterwards, we compare the results of the MWMPE with those of the single-channel weighted multi-scale permutation entropy (SCWMPE) and multivariate multi-scale sample entropy (MMSE). The comparison results indicate that, compared with the SCWMPE and MMSE, the MWMPE has superior performance in terms of the high-resolution presentation of flow instability in the gas-liquid two-phase flow. Finally, we extract the mean value of the MWMPE in whole scales and the entropy rate of the MWMPE in the small scales. The results indicate that the normalized mean value and normalized entropy rate of MWMPE are very sensitive to the transitions of flow patterns, thus allowing the detection of the instability of flow pattern transition.


Author(s):  
Claudi Marti´n-Callizo ◽  
Bjo¨rn Palm ◽  
Wahib Owhaib ◽  
Rashid Ali

The present work reports on flow boiling visualization of refrigerant R-134a in a vertical circular channel with internal diameter of 1.33 mm and 235 mm in heated length. Quartz tube with a homogeneous ITO-coating is used allowing heating and simultaneous visualization. Flow patterns have been observed along the heated length with the aid of a digital camera with close-up lenses. From the flow boiling visualization, seven distinct two-phase flow patterns have been observed: Isolated bubbly flow, confined bubbly flow, slug flow, churn flow, slug-annular flow, annular flow, and mist flow. Two-phase flow pattern observations are presented in the form of flow pattern maps. Finally, the experimental flow pattern map is compared to models developed for conventional sizes as well as to a microscale map for air-water mixtures available in the literature, showing a large discrepancy.


Author(s):  
Yuqing Xue ◽  
Huixiong Li ◽  
Tianyou Sheng ◽  
Changjiang Liao

A large amount of air need be transported into the reservoir in the deep stratum to supply oxygen to some microbes in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR). Air-water two-phase flows downward along vertical pipeline during the air transportation. Base on the experiment data described in this paper, the characteristics of air-water two phase flow patterns were investigated. The flow pattern map of air-water two phase flows in the pipe with inner diameter of 65 mm was drawn, criterions of flow pattern transition were discussed, and the dynamic signals of the pressure and the differential pressure of the two phase flow were recorded to characterize the three basic flow regimes indirectly. The frictional pressure drop of downward flow in vertical pipe must not be disregarded contrast with upward two phase flow in the vertical pipe because the buoyancy must be overcame when the gas flows downward along pipe, and there would be a maximum value of frictional when the flow pattern translated from slug flow to churn flow.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weilin Qu ◽  
Seok-Mann Yoon ◽  
Issam Mudawar

Knowledge of flow pattern and flow pattern transitions is essential to the development of reliable predictive tools for pressure drop and heat transfer in two-phase micro-channel heat sinks. In the present study, experiments were conducted with adiabatic nitrogen-water two-phase flow in a rectangular micro-channel having a 0.406×2.032mm2 cross-section. Superficial velocities of nitrogen and water ranged from 0.08 to 81.92 m/s and 0.04 to 10.24 m/s, respectively. Flow patterns were first identified using high-speed video imaging, and still photos were then taken for representative patterns. Results reveal the dominant flow patterns are slug and annular, with bubbly flow occurring only occasionally; stratified and churn flow were never observed. A flow pattern map was constructed and compared with previous maps and predictions of flow pattern transition models. Features unique to two-phase micro-channel flow were identified and employed to validate key assumptions of an annular flow boiling model that was previously developed to predict pressure drop and heat transfer in two-phase micro-channel heat sinks. This earlier model was modified based on new findings from the adiabatic two-phase flow study. The modified model shows good agreement with experimental data for water-cooled heat sinks.


Author(s):  
Bai Bofeng ◽  
Liu Maolong ◽  
Su Wang ◽  
Zhang Xiaojie

An experimental study was conducted on the air-water two-phase flow patterns in the bed of rectangular cross sections containing spheres of regular distribution. Three kinds of glass spheres with different diameters (3 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm) were used for the establishment of the test section. By means of visual observations of the two-phase flow through the test section, it was discovered that five different flow patterns occurred within the experimental parameter ranges, namely, bubbly flow, bubbly-slug flow, slug flow, slug-annular flow, and annular flow. A correlation for the bubble and slug diameter in the packed beds was proposed, which was an extended expression of the Tung/Dhir model, Jamialahmadi’s model, and Schmidt’s model. Three correlations were proposed to calculate the void friction of the flow pattern transition in bubble flow, slug flow, and annular flow based on the bubble model in the pore region. The experimental result showed that the modified Tung and Dhir model of the flow pattern transition was in better agreement with the experimental data compared with Tung and Dhir’s model.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kattan ◽  
J. R. Thome ◽  
D. Favrat

An improved two-phase flow pattern map is proposed for evaporation in horizontal tubes. The new map was developed based on flow pattern data for five different refrigerants covering a wide range of mass velocities and vapor qualities. The new map is valid for both adiabatic and diabatic (evaporating) flows and accurately identifies about 96 percent of the 702 data points. In addition, the new flow pattern map includes the prediction of the onset of dryout at the top of the tube during evaporation inside horizontal tubes as a function of heat flux and flow parameters.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Chen Lou ◽  
Jing Gong

A systematic work on the prediction of flow patterns transition of the oil-water two-phase flows is carried out under a wide range of oil phase viscosities, where four main flow regimes are considered including stratified, dispersed, core-annular, and intermittent flow. For oil with a relatively low viscosity, VKH criterion is considered for the stability of stratified flow, and critical drop size model is distinguished for the transition of o/w and w/o dispersed flow. For oil with a high viscousity, boundaries of core-annular flow are based on criteria proposed by Bannwart and Strazza et al. and neutral stability law ignoring that the velocity of the viscous phase is introduced for stratified flow. Comparisons between predictions and quantities of available data in both low and high viscosity oil-water flow from literatures show a good agreement. The framework provides extensive information about flow patterns transition of oil-water two-phase flow for industrial application.


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