Fluid mixing induced by vibrating walls

Recent progress in micro-fluid dynamics has identified an increased demand for efficient mixing of highly viscous fluids in small channels and cavities. One way to do this is through the steady streaming generated by the vibration of solid boundaries. In this paper we investigate the mixing properties of such streaming flows in an infinite channel. A Newtonian fluid is confined within flexible walls with transverse motion in the form of standing waves of small amplitude. The velocity field is determined using a perturbation approach with the slope of the wall as a small parameter [Phys. Fluids 16 (2004) 1822]. Streaming occurs at second order with the formation of cellular flow patterns in the channel. The Lagrangian velocities were found to mimic the Eulerian except for flows at large channel half-widths and low frequencies. Most effective mixing is observed for flows at channel half-widths of similar, or lower, order than the vibratory wavelength and for sufficiently high frequencies.     

Experimental investigation of a scaled-up passive micromixer with uneven interdigital inlet and teardrop obstruction elements

Micromixers are vital components in micro total analysis systems. It is desirable to develop micromixers which are capable of rapidly mixing two or more fluids in a small footprint area, while minimizing mechanical losses. A novel planar scaled-up passive micromixer is experimentally investigated in this study. The design incorporates a 7-substream uneven interdigital inlet which supplies two liquid species in a parallel arrangement and promotes diffusion along the side walls. Forty-eight staggered teardrop-shaped obstruction elements located along the channel length combined with 32 side walls protrusions increase the two-fluid interfacial area while converging the flow due to periodic reductions in cross-sectional area. The scaled-up micromixer has a mixing channel length of 110 mm with a mixing channel height and width of 2 and 5 mm, respectively. Experimental investigations are carried out at four locations along the channel length and at Reynolds numbers equal to 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100, where the Reynolds number is calculated based on total two-fluid flow and the mixing channel hydraulic diameter. Flow visualization is employed to study flow patterns, while induced fluorescence (IF), using de-ionized water and low concentration Rhodamine 6G solutions, provides mixing efficiency data. Results show a change in dominant mixing mechanism from mass diffusion to mass advection, with a critical Reynolds number of 25. At high Reynolds numbers, the formation of additional lamellae is observed, as is the formation of Dean vortices in the vicinity of the teardrop obstructions. Of the tested cases, the highest outlet mixing efficiency, 68.5%, is achieved at a Reynolds number of 1, where mass diffusion dominates. At low Reynolds numbers, superior mixing efficiency is due primarily to the implementation of the uneven interdigital inlet. A comparable mixing length is proposed to allow for reasonable comparison with published studies.     

Wall-Resolved Large Eddy Simulations of the Transient Turbulent Fluid Mixing in a Closed System Replicating a Pressurized Thermal Shock

The isothermal mixing of a heavy and a light liquid of different physical properties is numerically investigated by means of Large Eddy Simulations. The validation is based on experimental data held in a system reproducing various components of a pressurized water nuclear reactor, during a scenario of cold water injection at a low Atwood number of 0.05. The flow has two distinct stages: first a buoyancy-driven phase is characterized by a fluid front development in the cold leg and gives rise to Kelvin–Helmholtz whorls under the action of density changes. Then, the heavy liquid discharges into the downcomer filled with light liquid, which causes a turbulent mixing. These phenomena are analyzed through a single-phase approach where the density of the working fluid is either variable or modeled by the Boussinesq approximation. The influence of grid refinement is deeply examined, which shows that the mesh convergence is well achieved for the main flow quantities, unlike the low-magnitude spanwise components. Overall, the numerical solutions are found to reproduce the experimental measurements with a fair accuracy for both physical models used. These latter exhibit similar trends, due to the small density difference under consideration. The predictions in the downcomer appear to be more challenging owing to a strongest turbulence than in the cold leg, some flow features being not properly captured. However, the experimental data in the downcomer are found to be incomplete and somewhat dubious for a strict validation of the numerical simulations. Lastly, the flow distribution in the dowcomer is investigated, providing further insight on the mixing process.

     

Two-phase flow characteristics in gas–liquid microreactors

Multiphase chemical microreactors require a detailed knowledge of the flow conditions inside the reaction system. This paper reports flow visualization measurements of the two-phase gas–liquid flow pattern and the liquid velocity distribution inside liquid plugs of an intermittent flow. Rectangular cross-section silicon microchannels with hydraulic diameters between 187.5 and 218 μm are fabricated. Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) is used to determine the flow pattern. To analyze the influence of the liquid properties and the channel diameter on the two-phase flow pattern, we present flow regime maps using different channel geometries and fluids. A universal flow pattern map based on dimensional analysis is presented. In contrast to microchannel flows, a great number of correlations for flow characteristics for multiphase flow in (round) pipes with diameters >1 mm exist. We compare our experimental results from optical flow visualizations in microreactors with common flow correlations and regime maps for macro- and microchannels. The recirculation motion in the liquid segments of an intermittent gas–liquid flow is analyzed using micron-resolution particle image velocimetry (μPIV). The velocity distribution influences the mixing and the mass transport towards the reactive phase interface dealing with two-phase chemical reactions. For straight microchannels hardly any mass transport over the center line is quantified. For enhanced mixing geometrical adaptations are suggested.     

Visualization of the gas flow in fuel cell bipolar plates using molecular flow seeding and micro-particle image velocimetry

Main components of proton exchange membrane fuel cells are bipolar plates that electrically connect the electrodes and provide a gas flow to the membrane. We investigate the flow in the channel structures of bipolar plates. Flow seeding is used to visualize the propagating and mixing gas stream. It is shown that a part of the gas is transported perpendicularly to the channel structure. An analysis of the diffusion compared with the convection shows different transport behavior for both flow directions. Additionally, the convective flow field is investigated in detail near the channel wall using Micro-PIV in a Reynolds-number-scaled liquid fluid system. For a more exact comparison of the experimental setups, flow seeding in both gas and liquid systems is performed.     

圆筒容器内起旋和降旋过程中分层液体混合现象

针对旋转圆筒容器内的两种分层流体,应用平面激光诱导荧光与高速摄影技术对互溶与不互溶液体进行了实验研究.结果表明,上下层液体密度梯度与黏度梯度方向是产生界面不稳定的关键因素.当二者的梯度方向相同时,起旋过程不会发生剧烈混合,降旋过程中轻流体会冲击重流体;当二者的梯度方向相反时,起旋过程中形成抽吸效应,其后期发生界面破碎,降旋过程中重流体冲击轻流体.在旋转的3个过程中,降旋过程对混合的作用最大,无论梯度方向是否相同,都会发生液体间的界面不稳定.     

Evaporation of bi-component droplets in a heated, highly turbulent flow

This work aims to understand the phenomena that occur in a combustion chamber where multi-component fuel droplets are injected. Many evaporation models exist but the influence of turbulence on spray vaporization is not yet well understood. This study gives a useful database to improve these models. The objective of the work is to measure the dispersion and the evaporation of bi-component (octane/3-pentanone) droplets and the resulting vapor mixing in a well-known, heated, highly turbulent channel flow. The carrier flow shows high turbulence levels, flat profiles for the mean velocity and the velocity fluctuations. The injected droplets have a large variety of behaviors due to the large polydispersion and to the turbulence. The evolution of 3-pentanone liquid concentration, mass flux, and droplet clusters are described. Mean concentration, fluctuations of concentration, and mixing of the vapor phase are characterized.     

Experimental mixing parameterization due to multiphase fluid–structure interactions

Experimental estimates of the rate at which energy is extracted from the barotropic tide at corrugated sloping topography are presented. To this end, a series of experimental simulations of the process of generation of internal tides (i.e., internal waves of the tidal frequency) over a corrugated slope in stratified fluid were performed. An oceanic interior is modeled as four-layer stratified fluid. The main focus in these studies was to obtain the relation for the potential energy available for mixing as a function of a slope of a corrugated slope. The available potential energy available for partial mixing to the topographic slope was compared with the available potential energy sufficient for complete mixing of the four layers. The experimental data were compared with the analytic results of a linear theory and found in agreement with a recent theoretically predicted scenario showing that the dominant contribution of the energy distribution in internal wave field resides in waves of the lowest allowed frequency.     

Effects of geometric modulation and surface potential heterogeneity on electrokinetic flow and solute transport in a microchannel

A numerical investigation is performed on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) in a surface-modulated microchannel to induce enhanced solute mixing. The channel wall is modulated by placing surface-mounted obstacles of trigonometric shape along which the surface potential is considered to be different from the surface potential of the homogeneous part of the wall. The characteristics of the electrokinetic flow are governed by the Laplace equation for the distribution of external electric potential; the Poisson equation for the distribution of induced electric potential; the Nernst–Planck equations for the distribution of ions; and the Navier–Stokes equations for fluid flow simultaneously. These nonlinear coupled set of governing equations are solved numerically by a control volume method over the staggered system. The influence of the geometric modulation of the surface, surface potential heterogeneity and the bulk ionic concentration on the EOF is analyzed. Vortical flow develops near a surface modulation, and it becomes stronger when the surface potential of the modulated region is in opposite sign to the surface potential of the homogeneous part of the channel walls. Vortical flow also depends on the Debye length when the Debye length is in the order of the channel height. Pressure drop along the channel length is higher for a ribbed wall channel compared to the grooved wall case. The pressure drop decreases with the increase in the amplitude for a grooved channel, but increases for a ribbed channel. The mixing index is quantified through the standard deviation of the solute distribution. Our results show that mixing index is higher for the ribbed channel compared to the grooved channel with heterogeneous surface potential. The increase in potential heterogeneity in the modulated region also increases the mixing index in both grooved and ribbed channels. However, the mixing performance, which is the ratio of the mixing index to pressure drop, reduces with the rise in the surface potential heterogeneity.     

Influence of buoyancy in a mixed convection liquid metal flow for a horizontal channel configuration

This article presents the direct numerical simulation (DNS) of mixed convection turbulent heat transfer in a horizontal channel case for liquid lead. Cartesian mesh is used and the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are discretized with highly accurate finite difference sixth-order compact schemes to perform the DNS. The influence of mixed convection in liquid metal with Prandtl number equal to 0.025 and Reynolds number equal to 4667 has been studied by varying the Richardson number (Ri = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00). The obtained results are extensively analyzed and discussed in this article. In particular, large-scale circulation is observed under the influence of buoyancy. Compared to the forced convection case (Ri = 0), stronger velocity fluctuations are noticed that highlight the fact that turbulence is strongly enhanced with the increasing buoyancy. It also proves that the thermal plumes rising up from the hot wall of the channel activate the cross-stream eddies. Moreover, temperature fluctuations are found to be more homogeneously distributed with increasing buoyancy effects and mixing is more effective in the center of the channel. In addition, compared with forced convection, mixed convection has shown enlargement of the large-scale structures that only appear in the temperature field for low Prandtl number fluids. Extensive results of flow and temperature fields are analyzed and presented.     

一种新型主动微混合器及其流场的数值研究

设计一种通过交变电磁力作用,使液体得到有效混合的微混合器。基于微尺度的无滑移模型,建立了微型管道内液体流动及混合的模拟方法,并开发了计算程序,对微管道内流体的流动与混合过程进行数值模拟,得到了流场分布图。通过交变电压的作用而产生交变的电磁力,对流场产生扰动,从而提高了微型管道中不同流体的混合效率。分析比较不同交变周期下的混合方案,并对其混合效率进行了评价。     

Flow characteristics of rectangular open channels with compound vegetation roughness

An idealized parallel flow caused by a lateral bed roughness difference due to the partial vegetation across a channel is investigated. Similar to the flow in a compound channel, there are mixing layers adjacent to the interface between the vegetation and the non-vegetation lanes, and a lateral momentum exchange occurs between the slow-moving water in the former lane and the fast-moving water in the latter lane. Under a uniform flow condition, the three-dimensional (3D) instantaneous velocities of two cases with different discharges and water depths are measured with a 16MHz acoustic Doppler velocimeter (micro ADV). The longitudinal variation of the streamwise velocity and the vertical variation of the Reynolds stress are analyzed. A quadrant analysis is carried out to investigate the outward and inward interaction, ejection, and sweep phenomenon caused by the vegetation variation across the channel. The results show that the flow characteristics in the vegetation lane are similar to those in an open channel fully covered with submerged vegetation, and the flow characteristics in the smooth non-vegetation lane are similar to those in a free open channel. For the cases studied here, the width of the mixing region is about 10% of the channel width, and the mixing region is mainly on the non-vegetation half.     

Characteristics of an interfacial wave in a horizontal air-water stratified flow

Interfacial wave parameters, in this case the frequency, height, velocity, and slope, were investigated experimentally in a horizontal air-water stratified flow. Experiments were conducted with a parallel wire conductance sensor and PIV visualization in a rectangular channel, of which the width and height are 40 mm and 50 mm, respectively. In the experiments, the flow condition covered the liquid Reynolds number Re_l range of 450 to 3540 and the gas Reynolds number Re_g range of 14,000 to 70,000. The results revealed that the observed wave types according to the flow conditions in the rectangular channel are similar to those in a horizontal pipe. The frequency, height, and slope of the interfacial wave show complicated tendencies according to the combination of Re_g and Re_l, which affects the coalescence and breakup of the wave. Specifically, the wave height and wave slope have opposite tendencies regarding the criterion of Re_g = 34,000. For cases in which Re_g  ≥  34,000, the interfacial drag force significantly affects the height and slope of the disturbance wave. In contrast, for Re_g < 34,000, the growth of the wave has an important effect on the wave parameters. Finally, new empirical correlations for the frequency, height, and slope of the interfacial wave were proposed for application to the development of a droplet entrainment model in a horizontal stratified flow.     

Scalar mixing in the field of a gaseous laminar line vortex

An experimental study of scalar mixing in a laminar vortex is presented for vortices generated between two gas streams flowing parallel to each other in a rectangular flow channel. An isolated line vortex is initiated on demand by momentarily increasing one stream velocity in relation to the other using an electromagnetically actuated piston. The temporal piston motion profile is tailored to generate vortices of different strengths corresponding to vortex Reynolds numbers, Re≡Γ/2πν=130–210. Evolution of mixing is monitored by laser-induced fluorescence of acetone vapor premixed into one of the gas streams as the vortex structure evolves with increasing downstream distance from its point of origin. Vortex is generated by pulsing either of the gas streams (seeded or unseeded stream). Vortex initiation process affects the abundance of the gas in the vortex core from the pulsed stream. Spatial mixing statistics are obtained by determining scalar concentration probability density functions (pdf) and the mean mixed fluid concentrations obtained from these pdfs. It is found that the interfacial area generation as a result of vortex kinematics and molecular diffusion along this interface are principally responsible for mixing. The mean mixed fluid concentration in the vortex interaction region scales with the product of vortex circulation and the elapsed time of interaction. These results are similar to those found in liquid mixing experiments, but the rate of mixing is significantly higher due to higher diffusivity of gases.     

Cavitation flow around a plate in a channel by a stream of heavy liquid

The nonlinear problem of cavitation flow around a plate by a stream of heavy liquid is investigated in precise formulation; the plate is located on the horizontal floor of a channel when the gravity vector is directed perpendicular to the wall of the channel. Two flow systems are considered-Ryabushinskii's and Kuznetsov's system [1]. This problem was investigated in linear formulation in [2], Similar problems were considered earlier in [3–7] for unrestricted flow. Below, on the basis of a method proposed by Birkhoff [8, 9], all the principal hydrodynamic and geometric characteristics are calculated for the problem being considered.Translated from Ivestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 3–9, May–June, 1973.     

Mixing of miscible liquids in gas-segmented serpentine channels

The chaotic mixing of miscible liquids in gas-segmented serpentine channels is studied computationally in a two-dimensional setting. Passive tracer particles are used to visualize and quantify the mixing. The molecular diffusion is ignored and only the mixing due to chaotic stirring is considered. Mixing is quantified using the entropy and intensity of segregation measures. The effects of various non-dimensional parameters on the quality of mixing are investigated and it is found that the relative bubble size, the capillary number and the non-dimensional channel corrugation length are the most important parameters influencing the mixing. The mixing is found to be weakly dependent on Reynolds number and nearly independent of viscosity ratio.     

Flow and mixing characteristics of pulsed confined opposed jets in turbulent flow regime

A numerical study is performed on a two-dimensional confined opposed-jet configuration to gain basic understanding of the flow and mixing characteristics of pulsed turbulent opposed-jet streams. The sinusoidal pulsating flows with different temperature are imposed at opposed-jet inlets, which are mixed with each other in a confined flow channel. The current mathematical model taking the effect of temperature-dependent thermo-physical properties of fluid into account can present a good prediction for opposed-jet streams compared with experimental data. The numerical results indicate that introduction of temperature difference between opposed jet flows can lead to an asymmetric flow field immediately after jet impact, and the sinusoidal flow pulsations can effectively enhance mixing rate of opposed jets. Parameter studies are conducted for optimization of pulsed opposed jets. The effect of Reynolds number and flow pulsation as well as the configuration geometry on the mixing performance are discussed in detail. Examination of the flow and thermal field shows that the mixing rate is highly dependent on the vortex-induced mixing and residence time of jet fluid in the exit channel.     

Effects of turbulence and secondary flows on subcooled flow boiling

Experiments are conducted on the influence of turbulence and longitudinal vortices on subcooled flow boiling in a vertical, rectangular channel. Different flow inserts are used to create turbulence and vortices in the channel. Studied boiling regimes range from the onset of nucleate boiling over the critical heat flux up to fully developed film boiling. A wide range of measuring techniques is applied: time averaged particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used in cold flows for the evaluation of the effects the inserts have on the flow, high speed PIV and photography are used to determine the effects on the fluid and vapor movement in boiling experiments. Digital Holographic Interferometry is used for the evaluation of temperature distributions in the boiling flow. Furthermore, optical microprobes are used to obtain pointwise measurements in areas inaccessible to the imaging techniques. The experiments show that the flow inserts can have considerable impact on the heat fluxes and the distribution of vapor and temperature along the channel. All used inserts lead to an increase in critical heat flux, which is more pronounced for stronger turbulence and higher flow rates and fluid subcoolings. The measuring techniques reveal both a better transport of vapor from the heater surface as well as an increase in mixing in the liquid phase with flow inserts.     

Unstable parallel flows triggered by a fast chemical reaction

We present an experimental investigation of an instability triggered by a fast chemical reaction in a low inertia parallel flow in a small channel. Two fluids evenly injected in a straight channel react creating a strongly stratified distribution of viscosity near their interface, which destabilizes the flow. Depending on the flow rates and the aspect ratio of the flow channel, several unstable regimes are observed: mixing regime, weakly stratified regime and a stable stratified regime. In channels of 1:1 aspect ratio we find most efficient mixing (and highest flow resistance) at an intermediate pressure drops, as the flow transitions between a fully 3D regime and more stratified regime. For channels of small aspect ratio the non-monotonicity is less evident: higher pressure drops lead to increased mixing.     

昆仑山隧道沟谷融区发育特征分析

利用多年冻土区昆仑山隧道2#冲沟帷幕注浆的机会,将注浆孔当作测试孔,测试每个孔的水位和孔温。通过测试孔水位、孔温和注浆量变化分析,判断2#冲沟融区发育特征,得出2#冲沟沟底的融化深度远大于通常的冻土上限;阳坡地温高于阴坡地温;在2#冲沟段,昆仑山隧道中心线左右至少7m范围内为融化区,融区深度在隧底2⁵m以下;阳坡地层的孔隙率高于阴坡孔隙率,沟底岩层与地表有较为畅通的地下水流通道,沟底地下水渗流通道明显优于两侧山坡,沟心纵断面位置附近存在至少一条未被冻结的地下水通道,且该通道的埋置深度至少可达17³0m,为昆仑山隧道渗漏水病害治理提供依据。