Convective Mixing and Its Application to Micro Reactors

This work shows the application of convective fluid flow caused by flow-induced secondary vortices to fluidic single-phase micro mixers. As an example we used simple static T-shaped micro mixers. The convective flow was observed both by simulations and by experiments and is suitable for enhancing the mixing quality. Concerning micro reactors, it is necessary that the mixing is faster than the chemical reaction to be induced so that the creation of unwanted side products is minimized. The mixing model by Bourne is slightly modified for continuous flow reactors and applied to our mixers. Using this model, timescales for the mixing in our micro mixers are calculated. A first test reaction — the iodide-iodate reaction by Villermaux and Dushman — to check the validity of the timescales is outlined. These overall results will help to achieve a deeper understanding of micro reactors.

Experimental Study of Flow Patterns, Pressure Drop and Flow Instabilities in Parallel Rectangular Minichannels

The use of phase change heat transfer in parallel minichannels and microchannels is one of the solutions proposed for cooling high heat flux systems. The increase in pressure drop in a two phase system is one of the problems, that need to be studied in detail before proceeding to any design phase. The pressure drop fluctuations in a network of parallel channels connected by a common head need to be addressed for stable operation of flow boiling systems. The current work focuses on studying the pressure-drop fluctuations and flow instabilities in a set of six parallel rectangular minichannels, each with 333 μm hydraulic diameter. Demonized and degassed water was used for all the experiments. Pressure fluctuations are recorded and signal analysis is performed to find the dominant frequencies and their amplitudes. These pressure fluctuations are then mapped to their corresponding flow patterns observed using a high speed camera. The results help us to relate pressure fluctuations to different flow characteristics, and their effect on flow instability.

Validation of a Second-Order Slip Model for Transition-Regime, Gaseous Flows

We discuss and validate a recently proposed second-order slip model for dilute gas flows. Our discussion focuses on the importance of quantitatively accounting for the effect of Knudsen layers close to the walls. This is important, not only for obtaining an accurate slip model but also for interpreting the results of the latter since in transition-regime flows the Knudsen layers penetrate large parts of the flow. Our extensive validation illustrates the above points by comparing direct Monte Carlo solutions to the slip model predictions for an unsteady flow. Excellent agreement is found between simulation and the slip model predictions up to Kn = 0.4, for both the velocity profile and stress at the wall. This demonstrates that the proposed second-order slip model reliably describes arbitrary flowfields (and related stress fields) in a predictive manner at least up to Kn = 0.4 for both steady and transient problems.

Boiling and Two-Phase Flow in Channels With Extremely Small Dimensions: Review of Japanese Research

Researches concerning micro actuators utilizing vapor-liquid interfacial phenomena are extensively investigated to develop thermal devices applied to micro machines. On the other hand, the application of two-phase flow is useful for the removal of waste heat from the semiconductor chips with highly increased heat generation density to be integrated in notebook PCs. In the present paper, the latest Japanese research on boiling and two-phase flow in mini channels is reviewed covering those for the fundamental phenomena and practical applications. Boiling in a narrow channel between parallel plates is an ideal system for the development of the high-performance heat exchangers with extremely small sizes. The promising approaches to increasing the critical heat flux are introduced those by the present author to compensate the disadvantage inherent in this system.

Modeling of the Flow and Heat Transfer in Micro Heat Pipes

The fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of micro heat pipes are analyzed theoretically, in order to understand the physical phenomena and quantify the influence of various parameters on overall thermal performance of these devices. A one-dimensional model is utilized to solve the governing equations for the liquid/vapor flow and the heat transfer in the heat pipe channel. Variations in the liquid and vapor cross-sectional areas along the axial length of the heat pipe are included and the equations are solved using an implicit finite difference scheme. Appropriate models for fluid friction in small passages with varying cross-sectional areas have been incorporated to yield the axial distribution of the meniscus radius of curvature and the velocity, temperature and pressure in both the liquid and the vapor phases. Using this information, the effective thermal conductivity of the micro heat pipe is modeled, and parametric studies are performed by changing the heat load and cooling rate. The results of the analysis are discussed and compared with other theoretical models and experimental results found in the literature. By so doing, this analysis provides greater insight into the physical phenomena of flow and heat transfer in micro heat pipes and identifies a methodology for optimizing the design of these devices.

Flow Boiling in Mini and Microchannels

Flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of water and hydrocarbons in mini and microchannels are experimentally studied. Two different test section geometries are employed; a circular channel with a hydraulic diameter of 1500 μm, and rectangular channels with height values of 300–700 μm and a width of 10mm. In both facilities the fluid flows upwards and the test sections, made of the nickel alloy Inconel 600, are directly electrically heated. Thus the evaporation takes place under the defined boundary condition of constant heat flux. Mass fluxes between 25 and 350 kg/(m2s) and heat fluxes from 20 to 350 kW/m2 at an inlet pressure of 0.3 MPa are examined. Infrared thermography is applied to scan the outer wall temperatures. These allow the identification of different boiling regions, boiling mechanisms and the determination of the local heat transfer coefficients. Measurements are carried out in initial, saturated and post-dryout boiling regions. The experimental results in the region of saturated boiling are compared with available correlations and with a physically founded model developed for convective boiling.

Correlations of the Holdup and the Frictional Pressure Drop in Air-Water Two-Phase Flow in a Flat Capillary Rectangular Channel

Both vertical upward and horizontal gas-liquid two-phase flows in a flat capillary rectangular channel were studied to clarify the flow phenomena, the holdup and the frictional pressure drop. The dimension of the channel used was 9.9 mm × 1.1 mm. The orientations of the channel were with the wide side vertical and the wide side horizontal. The differences between the flow characteristics in such orientations were investigated. New correlations of holdup and frictional pressure drop for flat capillary channels are proposed, in which the effect of aspect ratio has been taken into consideration.

Multistage Viscous Micropumps

The viscous micropump consists of a cylinder placed eccentrically inside a microchannel, where the rotor axis is perpendicular to the channel axis. When the cylinder rotates, a net force is transferred to the fluid due to the unequal shear stresses on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotor. Consequently, this causes the surrounding fluid in the channel to displace towards the microchannel outlet. The simplicity of the viscous micropump renders it ideal for micro pumping, however, previous studies have shown that its performance is still less than what is required for various applications. The performance of the viscous micropump, in terms of flow rate, pressure head and efficiency, may be enhanced by implementing more than one rotor into the configuration. The present study will numerically investigate the performance of various configurations of the viscous micropumps with multiple rotors, namely the dual-horizontal rotor, the triple-horizontal rotor, the symmetrical-dual-vertical rotor, and the 8-shaped dual-vertical rotor. The development of drag force with time, as well as the viscous resisting torque on the cylinders were studied. In addition, the corresponding drag and moment coefficients were calculated. Results show that the symmetrical-dual-vertical rotor configuration yields the best efficiency, and generates the highest flow rate. The steady state performance of the single-stage micropump was compared with the available experimental and numerical data, and was found to be in very good agreement. This work provides a foundation for future research on the subject of fluid phenomena in viscous micropumps.

Conjugated Heat Transfer in 2-Dimensional Mini and Micro Channels: Influence of Axial Conduction in the Walls

For small Reynolds numbers, conductive heat transfer in the wall of mini-micro channels can become quite multidimensional: the wall heat flux density does not stay uniform and heat transfer mainly occurs at the entrance of the channels. The use of a ID model to invert measurements designed for estimating the convective heat transfer coefficient can lead to misinterpretations such as a variation of the Nusselt number with the Reynolds number. Three analytical models of conjugated heat transfer in channels are proposed, and the potential inversion of measurements is considered. A non-dimensional number M quantifying the relative part of conductive axial heat transfer in walls is introduced.

Proteinaceous Bubbles and Nano Particle Flows in Microchannel

Proteinaceous bubbles of 185 nm in average diameter were synthesized by a sonochemical treatment of bovine serum albumin in aqueous solution and the nanoparticles (TiO2) solution was made by ultrasonic irradiation. To study the macroscopic flow behavior associated with the changes in the state of microparticles, a flow test of these solutions in microchannels was done. Also the size distributions of the proteinaceous bubbles in solution before and after the flow test were measured by a light scattering method. Test results show that the air-filled proteinaceous bubbles in solution adjust their size to reduce the shear stress encountered in the flow through the microchannel. On the other hand, the flow rate of the solution with nanoparticles suspensions becomes smaller than that of deionized water above the flow rate of 6 cm3/min in the microchannel with a dimension of 100×150 μm2.