scholarly journals Non-Newtonian Droplet Generation in a Cross-Junction Microfluidic Channel

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1915
Author(s):  
Maryam Fatehifar ◽  
Alistair Revell ◽  
Masoud Jabbari
Keyword(s):  
Droplet Size ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Considerable Effect ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Polymeric Solutions ◽  
Detachment Time

A two-dimensional CFD model based on volume-of-fluid (VOF) is introduced to examine droplet generation in a cross-junction microfluidic using an open-source software, OpenFOAM together with an interFoam solver. Non-Newtonian power-law droplets in Newtonian liquid is numerically studied and its effect on droplet size and detachment time in three different regimes, i.e., squeezing, dripping and jetting, are investigated. To understand the droplet formation mechanism, the shear-thinning behaviour was enhanced by increasing the polymer concentrations in the dispersed phase. It is observed that by choosing a shear-dependent fluid, droplet size decreases compared to Newtonian fluids while detachment time increases due to higher apparent viscosity. Moreover, the rheological parameters—n and K in the power-law model—impose a considerable effect on the droplet size and detachment time, especially in the dripping and jetting regimes. Those parameters also have the potential to change the formation regime if the capillary number (Ca) is high enough. This work extends the understanding of non-Newtonian droplet formation in microfluidics to control the droplet characteristics in applications involving shear-thinning polymeric solutions.

scholarly journals Droplet Formation in a Cross-Junction Microfluidic Channel with Non-Newtonian Dispersed Phase

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Maryam Fatehifar ◽  
Alistair Revell ◽  
Masoud Jabbari
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Xanthan Gum ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Dispersed Phase ◽  
Generating Series

Microfluidics enables generating series of isolated droplets for high-throughput screening. As many biological/chemical solutions are of shear thinning non-Newtonian nature, we studied non-Newtonian droplet generation to improve the reliability of simulation results in real-life assays. We considered non-Newtonian power-law behaviour for Xanthan gum aqueous solution as the dispersed phase, and Newtonian canola oil as the continuous phase. Simulations were performed in OpenFOAM, using the inter foam solver and volume of fluid (VOF) method. A cross-junction geometry with each inlet and outlet channel height (H) and width (W) equal to 50 micrometers with slight contractions in the conjunctions was used to gain a better monodispersity. Following validation of the numerical setup, we conducted a series of tests to provide novel insight into this configuration. With a capillary number, of 0.01, dispersed phase to continuous phase flow-rate ratio of 0.05, and contact angle of 160°, simulations revealed that, by increasing the Xanthan gum concentration (0, 800, 1500, 2500 ppm) or, in other words, decreasing the n-flow behaviour index from 1 to 0.491, 0.389, and 0.302 in power-law model, (a) breakup of the dispersed phase thread occurred at 0.0365, 0.0430, 0.0440, and 0.0450 s; (b) the dimensionless width of the thread at the main channel entrance increased from 0 to 0.066, 0.096, and 0.16; and (c) the dimensionless droplet diameter decreased from 0.76 to 0.72, 0.68, and 0.67, respectively. Our next plan is to study effect of shear-thinning behaviour on droplet generation in different Ca and flow-rate ratios.

Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Droplet Formation in Non-Newtonian Fluids

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1056-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Shi ◽  
G. H. Tang
Keyword(s):  
Newtonian Fluid ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Lattice Boltzmann ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Bgk Model ◽  
Lattice Boltzmann Simulation ◽  
Power Law Exponent ◽  
Boltzmann Method

AbstractNewtonian and non-Newtonian dispersed phase droplet formation in non-Newtonian continuous phase in T-junction and cross junction microchannels are investigated by the immiscible lattice BGK model. The effects of the non-Newtonian fluid power-law exponent, viscosity and interfacial tension on the generation of the droplet are studied. The final droplet size, droplet generation frequency, and detachment point of the droplet change with the power-law exponent. The results reveal that it is necessary to take into account the non-Newtonian rheology instead of simple Newtonian fluid assumption in numerical simulations. The present analysis also demonstrates that the lattice Boltzmann method is of potential to investigate the non-Newtonian droplet generation in multiphase flow.

scholarly journals Collapse of a neutrally buoyant suspension column: from Newtonian to apparent non-Newtonian flow regimes

2017 ◽  
Vol 826 ◽  
pp. 918-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bougouin ◽  
L. Lacaze ◽  
T. Bonometti
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Shear Thickening ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Power Law Fluids ◽  
Neutrally Buoyant

Experiments on the collapse of non-colloidal and neutrally buoyant particles suspended in a Newtonian fluid column are presented, in which the initial volume fraction of the suspension $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$, the viscosity of the interstitial fluid $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{f}$, the diameter of the particles $d$ and the mixing protocol, i.e. the initial preparation of the suspension, are varied. The temporal evolution of the slumping current highlights two main regimes: (i) an inertial-dominated regime followed by (ii) a viscous-dominated regime. The inertial regime is characterized by a constant-speed slumping which is shown to scale as in the case of a classical inertial dam-break. The viscous-dominated regime is observed as a decreasing-speed phase of the front evolution. Lubrication models for Newtonian and power-law fluids describe most of situations encountered in this regime, which strongly depends on the suspension parameters. The temporal evolution of the propagating front is used to extract the rheological parameters of the fluid models. At the early stages of the viscous-dominated regime, a constant effective shear viscosity, referred to as an apparent Newtonian viscous regime, is found to depend only on $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{f}$ for each mixing protocol. The obtained values are shown to be well fitted by the Krieger–Dougherty model whose parameters involved, say a critical volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{m}$ and the exponent of divergence, depend on the mixing protocol, i.e. the microscale interaction between particles. On a longer time scale which depends on $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$, the front evolution is shown to slightly deviate from the apparent Newtonian model. In this apparent non-Newtonian viscous regime, the power-law model, indicating both shear-thinning and shear-thickening behaviours, is shown to be more appropriate to describe the front evolution. The present experiments indicate that the mixing protocol plays a crucial role in the selection of a shear-thinning or shear-thickening type of collapse, while the particle diameter $d$ and volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ play a significant role in the shear-thickening case. In all cases, the normalized effective consistency of the power-law fluid model is found to be a unique function of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$. Finally, an apparent viscoplastic regime, characterized by a finite length spreading reached at finite time, is observed at high $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$. This regime is mostly observed for volume fractions larger than $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{m}$ and up to a volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{M}$ close to the random close packing fraction at which the initial column remains undeformed on opening the gate.

Numerical Simulation of the Effect of Rheological Parameters on Shear-Thinning Droplet Formation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Voon-Loong Wong ◽  
Katerina Loizou ◽  
Phei-Li Lau ◽  
Richard S. Graham ◽  
Buddhika N. Hewakandamby
Keyword(s):  
Relaxation Time ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Shear Rate ◽  
Level Set ◽  
Droplet Diameter ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Droplet Breakup ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Characteristic Relaxation Time

Immiscible non-Newtonian-Newtonian fluid systems in microfluidics constitute an essential study as non-Newtonian fluids consistently met in medical and biological systems. Although a large number of experimental investigations have been reported in this area, attempts to develop predictive models appear to be limited. This paper is an attempt to incorporate a non-Newtonian stress model together with front-tracking scheme used in computational fluid dynamics. A conservative two-phase level set method (LSM) was applied for capturing the droplet breakup dynamics and relevant hydrodynamics of shear-thinning carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) droplets. Our droplets comprise of 0.02wt% to 1.2wt% CMC solutions in a Newtonian continuous fluids system (olive oil) employed in a T-shaped microfluidic cell. A Carreau-Yasuda viscosity model for shear-thinning CMC droplets has been implemented. This shear-dependent constitutive model fitted well to our steady state non-linear shear measurements for polymeric CMC solutions, with asymptotic viscosities at zero and infinite shear rates, and with different degrees of shear thinning (η0/η∞) in steady state. The particular focus of this study was to systematically undergo parametric studies on the influence of rheological parameters of the specified model such as zero (η0) and infinite shear viscosity (η∞), and relaxation time (λ) on the droplet formation processes. The level set simulation predicted that the droplet diameter increases with increasing η0/η∞. The effect of η0/η∞ has been found to have more prominent impact on droplet diameter for higher CMC concentrations. The variation in droplet diameter becomes less significant at the higher degrees of shear-thinning for all concentrations of CMC dispersed solutions. In the limit of zero shear-thinning effect, the droplet diameter increases when the dispersed phase viscosity decreases. Additionally, the effect of λ on the droplet diameter is also discussed. The reciprocal of the characteristic relaxation time (1/λ) corresponds to a critical shear rate that indicates the onset shear rate for shear-thinning. As λ increases, the numerical studies clearly reveal that the droplet diameter is increasing until it reaches a plateau for larger values of λ. The influence of λ leads to a more significant impact on droplet diameter for higher CMC concentration. These findings will ultimately help in understanding the sensitivity of rheological parameters to the microdroplet formation.

Annular Shear-Thinning Flow Over an Axisymmetric Sudden Expansion

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled J. Hammad
Keyword(s):  
Power Law ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Sudden Expansion ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Recirculation Region ◽  
Flow Recirculation ◽  
Flow Stagnation ◽  
Power Law Index ◽  
Annular Pipe ◽  
Steady Laminar

Suddenly expanding annular pipe flows of a shear-thinning non-Newtonian fluid were numerically investigated within the steady laminar flow regime. The power-law constitutive equation is used to model the rheology of interest. A parametric study is performed to reveal the influence of annular diameter ratio, k, and power-law index, n, over the following range of parameters: k = {0, 0.5, 0.7} and n = {1, 0.8, 0.6}. Flow separation and entrainment, downstream of the expansion plane, creates two recirculation regions. The first is a central recirculation region between the expansion plane and the flow stagnation point along the centerline. A second, corner recirculation region forms between the expansion plane and the flow reattachment point along the wall. The results demonstrate impact of the investigated geometrical and rheological parameters on the extent and intensity of both flow recirculation regions, the wall shear stress distribution, and the evolution and redevelopment characteristics of the flow downstream the expansion plane.

scholarly journals Generation and Dynamics of Janus Droplets in Shear-Thinning Fluid Flow in a Double Y-Type Microchannel

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Fan Bai ◽  
Hongna Zhang ◽  
Xiaobin Li ◽  
Fengchen Li ◽  
Sang Woo Joo
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Formation Mechanism ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Continuous Phase ◽  
Viscous Force ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Janus Droplet ◽  
Shear Thinning Fluid

Droplets composed of two different materials, or Janus droplets, have diverse applications, including microfluidic digital laboratory systems, DNA chips, and self-assembly systems. A three-dimensional computational study of Janus droplet formation in a double Y-type microfluidic device filled with a shear-thinning fluid is performed by using the multiphaseInterDyMFoam solver of the OpenFOAM, based on a finite-volume method. The bi-phase volume-of-fluid method is adopted to track the interface with an adaptive dynamic mesh refinement for moving interfaces. The formation of Janus droplets in the shear-thinning fluid is characterized in five different states of tubbing, jetting, intermediate, dripping and unstable dripping in a multiphase microsystem under various flow conditions. The formation mechanism of Janus droplets is understood by analyzing the influencing factors, including the flow rates of the continuous phase and of the dispersed phase, surface tension, and non-Newtonian rheological parameters. Studies have found that the formation of the Janus droplets and their sizes are related to the flow rate at the inlet under low capillary numbers. The rheological parameters of shear-thinning fluid have a significant impact on the size of Janus droplets and their formation mechanism. As the apparent viscosity increases, the frequency of Janus droplet formation increases, while the droplet volume decreases. Compared with Newtonian fluid, the Janus droplet is more readily generated in shear-thinning fluid due to the interlay of diminishing viscous force, surface tension, and pressure drop.

Thermorheological Characterization of Elastoviscoplastic Carbopol Ultrez 20 Gel

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Hassan ◽  
Manabendra Pathak ◽  
Mohd. Kaleem Khan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Yield Stress ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Viscous Dissipation ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Frequency Range ◽  
Power Law Index

The temperature and concentration play an important role on rheological parameters of the gel. In this work, an experimental investigation of thermorheological properties of aqueous gel Carbopol Ultrez 20 for various concentrations and temperatures has been presented. Both controlled stress ramps and controlled stress oscillatory sweeps were performed for obtaining the rheological data to find out the effect of temperature and concentration. The hysteresis or thixotropic seemed to have negligible effect. Yield stress, consistency factor, and power law index were found to vary with temperature as well as concentration. With gel concentration, the elastic effect was found to increase whereas viscous dissipation effect was found to decrease. Further, the change in elastic properties was insignificant with temperature in higher frequency range of oscillatory stress sweeps.

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.

Enhancement lubricity properties of water-based mud with nanoparticles

2020 ◽  
pp. 70-74
Author(s):  
V.V. Guliyev ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Yield Point ◽  
Coefficient Of Friction ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Drilling Mud ◽  
Pseudoplastic Fluid ◽  
Water Based

Currently, a great number of drilling fluids with different additives are used all over the world. Such additives are applied to control the properties of the drilling mud. The main purpose for controlling is to achieve more effective and safe drilling process. This research work aims to develop Water-Based Mud (WBM) with a Coefficient of Friction (CoF) as low as Oil-Based Mud (OBM) and better rheological properties. As it is known, produced CoF by WBM is higher than OBM, which means high friction between wellbore or casing and drill string. It was the reason for studying the effect of nanosilica on drilling fluid properties such as lubricity, rheological parameters and filtrate loss volume of drilling mud. The procedures were carried out following API RP 13B and API 13I standards. Five concentrations of nanosilica were selected to be tested. According to the results obtained, it was defined that adding nanosilica into the mud decreases CoF of basic WBM by 26 % and justifies nanosilica as a good lubricating agent for drilling fluid. The decreasing trend in coefficient of friction and plastic viscosity for nanosilica was obtained until the concentration of 0.1 %. This reduction is due to the shear thinning or pseudoplastic fluid behavior. After 0.1 %, an increase at PV value trend indicates that it does not follow shear thinning behavior and after reaching a certain amount of dissolved solids in the mud, it acts like normal drilling fluid. The yield point of the mud containing nanoparticles was higher than the basic one. Moreover, a growth in the concentration leads to an increase in yield point value. The improvement of this fluid system cleaning capacity via hydraulics modification and wellhole stability by filter cake endurance increase by adding nanosilica is shown as well. The average well construction data of “Neft Dashlary” field was used for the simulation studies conducted for the investigation of hydraulics parameters of reviewed fluids for all series of experiments. The test results were accepted reliable in case of at least 3 times repeatability.

scholarly journals Inversion of flow Measurements for Stress and Rheological Parameters in a Valley Glacier

1973 ◽  
Vol 12 (64) ◽  
pp. 19-44
Author(s):  
Charles F. Raymond
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Measurement Errors ◽  
Effective Viscosity ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Mean Stress ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Anomalous Zone ◽  
Flow Law

AbstractMethods are developed for determining the distributions of stress and effective viscosity in a glacier, under the assumptions: the ice is quasi-viscous, the flow is time independent, and acceleration forces are negligible. Measurements of the three-dimensional distribution of velocity are needed for their application. The differential equations of mechanical equilibrium, expressed in terms of viscosity, strain-rate components, mean stress, and their gradients, are viewed as equations to be solved for viscosity and mean stress subject to boundary conditions at the free upper surface. For certain rectilinear flow patterns, unique distributions of stress and effective viscosity can always be derived. For more complicated flow this is not necessarily so. However, it is still possible to choose the best values of rheological parameters in any trial flow law based on the requirement that the residuals to the equations of equilibrium be minimized in a mean-square sense. The techniques are applied to measurements of internal deformation made in nine bore holes on the Athabasca Glacier. At the center line the magnitude of the surface-parallel shear stress increases with depth more slowly than would be expected from a standard shape factor correction or the theoretical distribution of Nye. Correspondingly the lateral distribution of lateral shear stress shows the opposite relationships. In the lower one- to two-thirds of the depth corresponding to a range in effective stress from about 0.5 to 1.2 bars, the gross rheology of the ice is not distinguishably different from the experimentally determined flow law of Glen (n = 4.2, T = 0.02° C) as generalized by Nye. The results do not support the conclusion that the effective viscosity is higher than would be expected from Glen’s experiments as indicated by the more limited measurements of Paterson and Savage. Power-law parameters derived for the different bore holes considered separately show a spread, which suggests some rheological inhomogeneity. However, no definite conclusions can be drawn, because of direct measurement errors at the bore holes and less definable uncertainty in the interpolated distribution of velocity between the holes. The upper one- to two-thirds of the glacier constitutes an anomalous zone in which there is either a strong effect from a complex distribution of stress arising from longitudinal stress gradients or more complicated rheology than in a homogeneous power-law material.

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