scholarly journals The liquid-liquid flow dynamics and droplet formation in a modified step T-junction Microchannel

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingwei Zhang ◽  
Si Da Ling ◽  
zhuo chen ◽  
Wenjun Ma ◽  
jianhong Xu
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Surfactant Concentration ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Flow Dynamics ◽  
Generation Mechanism ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Report Generation ◽  
Transition Stage ◽  
Abnormal Increase

The droplet generation mechanism in the step T-junction remains unknown, especially for the transition stage from dripping to jetting . In this work, the droplet generation mechanism was systematically investigated in a novel modified step T-junction. We found that under different fluid regimes, different factors take action. In dripping regime, the interfacial tension dominated the formation mechanism when the surfactant concentration was controlled below micelle concentration (CMC). In jetting regime, our experimental results showed that the influence of the surfactant concentration on the size of generated droplets was rather negligible while the phase ratio indeed determined such a parameter. In the dripping-jetting transition stage, an abnormal increase of droplet size was observed despite the increase of continuous phase flow. To the best for our knowledge, it is the first study to report generation mechanism in modified step T-junction from dripping to jetting regimes.

Effect of Fluid Properties on Droplet Generation in a Microfluidic T-Junction

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina Loizou ◽  
Voon-Loong Wong ◽  
Wim Thielemans ◽  
Buddhika Hewakandamby
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Viscosity Ratio ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Generation Mechanism ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Dispersed Phase ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Break Up

Over the last decade, significant work has been performed in an attempt to quantify the effect of different parameters such as flowrate, geometrical and fluid characteristics on the droplet break up mechanism in microfluidic T-Junctions. This demand is dictated by the need of tight control of the size and dispersity of the droplets generated in such geometries. Even though several researchers have investigated the effect of viscosity ratio on both the droplet break up mechanism as well as on the regime transition, fluid properties have not been included in most scaling laws. It is therefore evident that the contribution of fluid properties has not been quantified thoroughly. In the present work, the effect of fluid properties on the volume of droplets generated in a microfluidic T-junction is investigated. The main aim of this work is to examine the influence of viscosity of both the dispersed and continuous phase as well as the effect of interfacial tension on the size of droplet generated along with the break up mechanism. Three different oils have been utilised as continuous phase in this work to enable investigation of the effect of viscosity of the continuous phase with experiments performed at constant Capillary numbers. Various glycerol weight percentages have been employed to vary the viscosity of the dispersed phase fluid (water). Lastly, the effect of interfacial tension has been explored using two of the oils at constant μcUc (viscous force term). High speed imaging has been utilised to visualise and measure the volume of the resulting droplets. The viscosity ratio (viscosity of dispersed phase over viscosity of continuous phase) between the two phases appears to affect the droplet generation mechanism, especially for the highest viscosity ratio employed (mineral oil-water system) where the system behaves in a noticeably different way. Influence of interfacial tension is also noticeable even though less evident. In terms of the effect of viscosity of dispersed phase on the droplet generation a small difference on the volume of the droplets generated in olive oil glycerol systems is also reported. In an attempt to enumerate the effect of fluid properties on the droplet generation mechanism in a microfluidic T-junction, this paper will present supporting evidence in detail on the above and a comparison of the findings with the existing theories.

Parametric Study of Droplet Formation and Characteristics Within Microfluidic Devices — A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (07) ◽  
pp. 2050077
Author(s):  
Seyedeh Sarah Salehi ◽  
Amir Shamloo ◽  
Siamak Kazemzadeh Hannani
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Viscosity Ratio ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Phase Density ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
The Impact

Droplet-based microfluidics technologies hold great attention in a wide range of applications, including chemical analysis, drug screening, and food industries. This work aimed to describe the effects of different physical properties of the two immiscible phases on droplet formation in a flow-focusing microfluidic device and determining proper flow rates to form a droplet within the desired size range. A numerical model was developed to solve the governing equations of two-phase flow and the results were validated with previous experimental results. The results demonstrate different types of droplet formation regimes from dripping to jetting and different production rates of droplets as a consequence of the impact of each property on fluid flow, including the viscosity ratio, density, interfacial tension, and the flow rate ratio. Based on the results, flow rate, viscosity, and interfacial tension strongly affect the droplet formation regime as well as its size and shape. Droplet diameter increases by increasing the dispersed to continuous phase flow rate as well as the interfacial tension while it decreases by increasing the viscosity ratio and the continuous phase density. Moreover, the formation of satellite droplets was modeled, and the effect of interfacial tension, the viscosity of the dispersed phase and the continuous phase density were found to be important on the conditions that the satellite droplets are suppressed. Since the formation of the satellite droplets induces polydispersity in droplet size, this phenomenon is avoided. Collectively, choosing appropriate aqueous and oil phases with proper physical properties is crucial in forming monodisperse droplets with defined size and shape.

Optimization of Shear Driven Droplet Generation in a Microfluidic Device

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Collins ◽  
Yung-Chieh Tan ◽  
Abraham P. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Water Stream ◽  
Multiphysics Modeling ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Dispersive Phase

Hydrophilic and lipophilic interfaces of fluids play an important role in the formation of droplets. A large collection of droplets constitutes emulsions of water dispersive phase into oil continuous phase. Since droplet generation forms the basis of the manufacturing of emulsion, great efforts have been made to understand the science, technological and industrial problems associated with the generation of droplets. This paper presents the optimization of a novel method of droplet generation [1] in a microchannel resulting from the laminar co-flow of water and oil in a T type channel. Water in oil droplets are formed with olive oil (interfacial tension 28mN/m, viscosity 84mPa/s, density 918Kg/m3). At the T-junction, the water stream sent through the middle channel is sheared and cut by the oil stream sent through the outer channel. Competition between interfacial tension and the Laplace pressure at the oil/water interface results in droplets of finite diameter. Fluid properties such as density, viscosity and surface tension and the flow parameters such as pressure, mass flow rate and velocity are varied at the inlets and outlets to optimize size, frequency and periodicity of droplets using CFD-ACE+, a multiphysics modeling tool (CFDRC, Huntsville, AL).

Phase Inversion in Two-Phase Liquid Systems

1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1419-1423
Author(s):  
Jindřich Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Phase Inversion ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Weak Dependence ◽  
Dispersed Phase ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Liquid Systems ◽  
Phase Liquid

New data on critical holdups of dispersed phase were measured at which the phase inversion took place. The systems studied differed in the ratio of phase viscosities and interfacial tension. A weak dependence was found of critical holdups on the impeller revolutions and on the material contactor; on the contrary, a considerable effect of viscosity was found out as far as the viscosity of continuous phase exceeded that of dispersed phase.

Effect of Geometry on Droplet Generation in a Microfluidic T-Junction

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina Loizou ◽  
Wim Thielemans ◽  
Buddhika N. Hewakandamby
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
Superficial Velocity ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Dispersed Phase ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
The Cross

The main aim of this study is to examine how the droplet formation in microfluidic T-junctions is influenced by the cross-section and aspect ratio of the microchannels. Several studies focusing on droplet formation in microfluidic devices have investigated the effect of geometry on droplet generation in terms of the ratio between the width of the main channel and the width of the side arm of the T-junction. However, the contribution of the aspect ratio and thus that of the cross-section on the mechanism of break up has not been examined thoroughly with most of the existing work performed in the squeezing regime. Two different microchannel geometries of varying aspect ratios are employed in an attempt to quantify the effect of the ratio between the width of the main channel and the height of the channel on droplet formation. As both height and width of microchannels affect the area on which shear stress acts deforming the dispersed phase fluid thread up to the limit of detaching a droplet, it is postulated that geometry and specifically cross-section of the main channel contribute on the droplet break-up mechanisms and should not be neglected. The above hypothesis is examined in detail, comparing the volume of generated microdroplets at constant flowrate ratios and superficial velocities of continuous phase in two microchannel systems of two different aspect ratios operating at dripping regime. High-speed imaging has been utilised to visualise and measure droplets formed at different flowrates corresponding to constant superficial velocities. Comparing volumes of generated droplets in the two geometries of area ratio near 1.5, a significant increase in volume is reported for the larger aspect ratio utilised, at all superficial velocities tested. As both superficial velocity of continuous phase and flowrate ratio are fixed, superficial velocity of dispersed phase varies. However this variation is not considered to be large enough to justify the significant increase in the droplet volume. Therefore it can be concluded that droplet generation is influenced by the aspect ratio and thus the cross-section of the main channel and its effect should not be depreciated. The paper will present supporting evidence in detail and a comparison of the findings with the existing theories which are mainly focused on the squeezing regime.

Two-Phase Flow Dynamics

2021 ◽  
pp. 541-623
Author(s):  
Neil E. Todreas ◽  
Mujid S. Kazimi
Keyword(s):  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Dynamics ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase

scholarly journals Prediction Models of Droplet Characteristics Based on the Locally Convergent Configurations in PMMA Microchips

2021 ◽  
Vol 2097 (1) ◽  
pp. 012027
Author(s):  
Zhongxin Liu ◽  
Zhiliang Wang ◽  
Chao Wang ◽  
Jinsong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Relative Position ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Lubricating Oil ◽  
Flow Rate Ratio ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Exponential Relationship ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract This paper novel designed the local convergence configuration in the coaxial channels to study the two-phase flow (lubricating oil (continuous phase, flow rate Q c)/deionized water (dispersed phase, flow rate Q d)). Two geometric control variables, the relative position (x) and tapering characteristics (α), had the different effects on the droplet formation. The increase of relative position x caused the higher frequency and finer droplets, and the increase of convergence angle α, took the opposite effects. The results indicated that the equivalent dimensionless droplet length Ld/Wout and the flow rate ratio Qd/Qc had an exponential relationship of about 1/2. Similarly, it was found that the dispersed droplets generating frequency and the two-phase capillary number, CaTP = uTPμc/σ, had an exponential relationship. The advantage of the convergent configurations in micro-channel was the size and efficiency of droplet generation was very favorable to be controlled by α and x.

Electrowetting Induced Droplet Generation in T-junctions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arshia Merdasi ◽  
Ali Moosavi
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Droplet Breakup ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
The Finite Element Method ◽  
Fluidic Channel ◽  
Generation Frequency ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Breakup Time ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract In the current study, droplet generation in a T-junction fluidic channel device was studied through using electrowetting actuation with the consideration of different droplet forming regimes. For this purpose, the finite element method (FEM) was used to solve the unsteady Naiver-Stokes equation. In addition, the level set method was applied to capture the interface between two phases. It was shown that there was a good agreement between obtained data and other work during the process of droplet generation in the absence of electrowetting actuation which results in decrease in the size of droplet with increasing the velocity ratios. In shearing regime, the effectiveness of electrowetting on the droplet generation frequency as well as droplet size is visible in a T-junction fluidic channel since after applying voltages, specified with non-dimensional electrowetting numbers of ?=0.5 and 1.2, dispersed phase is pulled out into the oil phase. In fact, with applying the voltage on the top wall, the droplet breakup time was decreased and smaller droplets were produced. Finally, different important parameters such as pressure difference across the interface as well as Shear Stress exerted from the continuous phase shear stress were examined in a detail.

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