Periodical streaming potential and electro-viscous effects in microchannel flow

This paper presents an analytical solution to periodical streaming potential,flow-induced electric field and velocity of periodical pressure-driven flows in twodimensional uniform microchannel based on the Poisson.Boltzmann equations for electric double layer and Navier-Stokes equation for liquid flow.Dimensional analysis indicates that electric-Viscous force depends on three factors:(1)Electric-viscous number representing a ratio between maximum of electric-viscous force and pressure gradient in a steady state,(2)profile function describing the distribution profile of electro-viscous forcein channel section,and(3)coupling coefficient reflecting behavior of amplitude damping and phase Offset of electro-viscous force.Analytical results indicate that flow-induced electric field and flow velocity depend on frequency Reynolds number(Re=wh2/v).Flow-induced electric field varies very slowly with Re when Re＜1.and rapidly decreases when Re＞1.Electro-viscous effect on flow-induced electric field and flow velocity are very significant when the rate of the channel width to the thickness of electric double layer is small.     

Periodical streaming potential and electro-viscous effects in microchannel flow

This paper presents an analytical solution to periodical streaming potential, flow-induced electric field and velocity of periodical pressure-driven flows in twodimensional uniform microchannel based on the Poisson-Boltzmann equations for electric double layer and Navier-Stokes equation for liquid flow. Dimensional analysis indicates that electric-viscous force depends on three factors： （1） Electric-viscous number representing a ratio between maximum of electric-viscous force and pressure gradient in a steady state, （2） profile function describing the distribution profile of electro-viscous force in channel section, and （3） coupling coefficient reflecting behavior of arnplitude damping and phase offset of electro-viscous force. Analytical results indicate that flow-induced electric field and flow velocity depend on frequency Reynolds number （Re = wh^2/v）. Flow-induced electric field varies very slowly with Re when Re 〈 1, and rapidly decreases when Re 〉 1. Electro-viscous effect on flow-induced electric field and flow velocity are very significant when the rate of the channel width to the thickness of electric double layer is small.     

Effects of microchannel geometry on pulsed flow mixing

Although the mixing of reagents is often crucial in many microfluidic devices, good mixing in these laminar, low Reynolds number, flows remains a challenge. It was shown in Refs. [Glasgow, I., Aubry, N., 2003. Lab on a Chip 3, p. 114; Glasgow, I., Batton, J., Aubry, N., 2004. Lab on a Chip 4, p. 558] that pulsing can induce mixing at the confluence of two inlet microchannels in an efficient manner. In this paper, we show that this mixing is affected by both the geometry of the confluence and the inclusion of features in the channels, which induce secondary flow. More specifically, we study mixing in 200 μm wide by 120 μm deep channels, at flow rates from 48 nl s⁻¹ to 4.8 μl s⁻¹, corresponding to Reynolds numbers of 0.3–30. For the parameter values studied, the pulsed flow technique is more effective at mixing than the secondary flow induced by the channel geometry features, and combining both methods leads to even better mixing. In addition, pulsing the reagents such that they pass multiple times through the spatial features, which induce secondary flow leads to mixing over shorter distances.     

Effects of Knudsen number and geometry on gaseous flow and heat transfer in a constricted microchannel

A flow and heat transfer numerical simulation is performed for a 2D laminar incompressible gas flow through a constricted microchannel in the slip regime with constant wall temperature. The effects of rarefaction, creeping flow, first order slip boundary conditions and hydrodynamically/thermally developing flow are assumed. The effects of Knudsen number and geometry on thermal and hydrodynamic characteristics of flow in a constricted microchannel are explored. SIMPLE algorithm in curvilinear coordinate is used to solve the governing equations including continuity, energy and momentum with the temperature jump and velocity slip conditions at the solid walls in discretized form. The resulting velocity and temperature profiles are then utilized to obtain the microchannel C _f Re and Nusselt number as a function of Knudsen number and geometry. The results show that Knudsen number has declining effect on the C _f Re and Nusselt number in the constricted microchannel. In addition, the temperature jump on wall and slip velocity increase with increasing Knudsen number. Moreover, by decreasing the throttle area, the fluid flow characteristics experience more intense variations in the constricted region. To verify the code a comparison is carried out with available results and good agreement is achieved.     

PIV measurements of a microchannel flow

 A particle image velocimetry (PIV) system has been developed to measure velocity fields with order 1-μm spatial resolution. The technique uses 200 nm diameter flow-tracing particles, a pulsed Nd:YAG laser, an inverted epi-fluorescent microscope, and a cooled interline-transfer CCD camera to record high-resolution particle-image fields. The spatial resolution of the PIV technique is limited primarily by the diffraction-limited resolution of the recording optics. The accuracy of the PIV system was demonstrated by measuring the known flow field in a 30 μm×300 μm (nominal dimension) microchannel. The resulting velocity fields have a spatial resolution, defined by the size of the first window of the interrogation spot and out of plane resolution of 13.6 μm× 0.9 μm×1.8 μm, in the streamwise, wall-normal, and out of plane directions, respectively. By overlapping the interrogation spots by 50% to satisfy the Nyquist sampling criterion, a velocity-vector spacing of 450 nm in the wall-normal direction is achieved. These measurements are accurate to within 2% full-scale resolution, and are the highest spatially resolved PIV measurements published to date. Received: 29 October 1998/Accepted: 10 March 1999     

Rotating electroosmotic flow in a non-uniform microchannel

An analytical model based on lubrication approximation is developed for rotating electroosmotic flow in a narrow slit channel, of which the wall shape and surface potential may vary slowly in the direction of applied fields. The primary and secondary flow fields and the induced pressure gradient, which vary periodically with axial position owing to the gradually varied channel height and surface potentials, are deduced as functions of the inverse Ekman number and the Debye parameter. By studying some limiting cases of special interest, the combined effects of system rotation and the interaction between the geometrical and potential variations are investigated. It is shown that non-uniformity in the channel height and wall potential can qualitatively modify the relationship between system rotation and the primary and secondary flow rates.     

Effect of correcting near-wall forces on nanoparticle transport in a microchannel

This paper studies the importance of corrections that account for the presence of walls on the forces act- ing on nanoparticles during their transport in microchannels.Theoretical and experimental investigations have reported anisotropic and hindered motion of nanoparticles near a microchannel wall. To investigate the influence of the near-wall effects, various conditions were examined. In particular, computer simu- lations were performed with and without the near-wall correction of forces. The corresponding capture efficiency and the average penetration of the captured nanoparticles were compared, and the importance of the near-wall corrections was assessed. Effects were evaluated for the nanoparticle diameter, the chan- nel width, the channel length, and the pressure gradient. The results indicate that the inclusion of wall effects is crucial for the analysis of nanoparticle transport in microchannels.     

Effect of correcting near-wall forces on nanoparticle transport in a microchannel

This paper studies the importance of corrections that account for the presence of walls on the forces acting on nanoparticles during their transport in microchannels. Theoretical and experimental investigations have reported anisotropic and hindered motion of nanoparticles near a microchannel wall. To investigate the influence of the near-wall effects, various conditions were examined. In particular, computer simulations were performed with and without the near-wall correction of forces. The corresponding capture efficiency and the average penetration of the captured nanoparticles were compared, and the importance of the near-wall corrections was assessed. Effects were evaluated for the nanoparticle diameter, the channel width, the channel length, and the pressure gradient. The results indicate that the inclusion of wall effects is crucial for the analysis of nanoparticle transport in microchannels.     

Adiabatic and diabatic two-phase venting flow in a microchannel

The growth and advection of the vapor phase in two-phase microchannel heat exchangers increase the system pressure and cause flow instabilities. One solution is to locally vent the vapor formed by capping the microchannels with a porous, hydrophobic membrane. In this paper we visualize this venting process in a single 124 μm by 98 μm copper microchannel with a 65 μm thick, 220 nm pore diameter hydrophobic Teflon membrane wall to determine the impact of varying flow conditions on the flow structures and venting process during adiabatic and diabatic operation. We characterize liquid velocities of 0.14, 0.36 and 0.65 m/s with superficial air velocities varying from 0.3 to 8 m/s. Wavy-stratified and stratified flow dominated low liquid velocities while annular type flows dominated at the higher velocities. Gas/vapor venting can be improved by increasing the venting area, increasing the trans-membrane pressure or using thinner, high permeability membranes. Diabatic experiments with mass flux velocities of 140 and 340 kg/s/m² and exit qualities up to 20% found that stratified type flows dominate at lower mass fluxes while churn-annular flow became more prevalent at the higher mass-flux and quality. The diabatic flow regimes are believed to significantly influence the pressure-drop and heat transfer coefficient in vapor venting heat exchangers.     

Two-phase annular flow and evaporative heat transfer in a microchannel

A physical and mathematical model has been developed to predict the two-phase flow and heat transfer in a microchannel with evaporative heat transfer. Sample solutions to the model were obtained for both constant wall temperature and constant wall heat flux conditions. Results are provided for evaporation rate, liquid film thickness, liquid and vapor phase pressure and temperature distributions. In addition to the sample calculations that were used to illustrate the transport characteristics, computations based on the current model were performed to generate results for comparisons with the experimental results of Qu and Mudawar (2004) where two different mass flow rates of the working fluid were used in the experiment. The comparisons of total pressure drops with the experimental data of Qu and Mudawar (2004) cover the wall heat flux range of 142.71-240 W/cm² with a total channel mass flux of 400.1 kg/m² s and also the wall heat flu range of 99.54-204.39 W/cm² with total channel mass flux of 401.9 kg/m² s. The calculated results from the current model match closely with those of Qu and Mudawar (2004).     

Stokeslets-meshfree computations and theory for flow in a collapsible microchannel

We present both a theoretical model and Stokeslets-meshfree computations to study the induced flow motions and transport in a 2D microchannel with moving multiple prescribed dynamic collapses (contractions) along the upper wall. The channel is assumed to have a length that is much greater than its width, i.e., ${(\delta = W/L \ll1)}$ . The wall contractions are set to move with or without time (phase) lags with respect to each other. The theoretical analysis presented is based on the quasi-steady state approximations and the lubrication theory at the low Reynolds number flow regime. The meshfree numerical method is based on the method of fundamental solutions MFS, which uses a set of singularized force elements called Stokeslets to induce the flow motions. The flow field developments and structures induced by these wall contractions are given at various time snapshots during the collapsing cycle. The effect of the wall contractions amplitudes and the phase lags between individual contractions on the flow variables and on the time-averaged net flow over a complete cycle of contractions motions is studied. The present study is motivated by pumping mechanisms observed in insects, physiological systems that use multiple contractions to transport fluid, and the emerging novel microfluidic devices that mimic these systems.     

The flow field around a micropillar confined in a microchannel

The flow field over a low aspect ratio (AR) circular pillar (L/D = 1.5) in a microchannel was studied experimentally. Microparticle image velocimetry (μPIV) was employed to quantify flow parameters such as flow field, spanwise vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in the microchannel. Flow regimes of cylinder-diameter-based Reynolds number at 100 ⩽ Re_D ⩽ 700 (i.e., steady, transition from quasi-steady to unsteady, and unsteady flow) were elucidated at the microscale. In addition, active flow control (AFC), via a steady control jet (issued from the pillar itself in the downstream direction), was implemented to induce favorable disturbances to the flow in order to alter the flow field, promote turbulence, and increase mixing. Together with passive flow control (i.e., a circular pillar), turbulent kinetic energy was significantly increased in a controllable manner throughout the flow field.     

Statistical characteristics of two-phase gas-liquid flow in a vertical microchannel

This paper presents an experimental study of the structure of an upward gas-liquid flow in a vertical microchannel with a cross-sectional dimension of 0.67 × 2.00 mm and a length of 0.5 m. The tests were performed in the ranges of reduced rates of nitrogen 0.04–11.00 m/sec and water 0.07–0.41 m/sec. Using the method of two-beam laser scanning, we identified the main flow regimes (slug-bubble, slug, transient, emulsion, and annular) and determined the statistical characteristics of the two-phase flow. A map of flow regimes was constructed, the dependence of slug velocity on the reduced mixture velocity was obtained, and the friction factor for an upward gas-liquid flow in a microchannel was measured.     

Periodic flow boiling in a non-uniformly heated microchannel heat sink

Hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of flow boiling in a non-uniformly heated microchannel were studied. Experiments were performed with a single microchannel and a series of microheaters to study the microscale boiling of water under axially non-uniform heat input conditions. A simultaneous real time visualization of the flow pattern was performed with the measurement of experimental parameters. Tests were performed over a mass flux of 309.8 kg/m² s, and heat flux of 200–600 kW/m². Test results showed different fluctuations of heated wall temperature, pressure drop, and mass flux with variations of the heat input along the flow direction. The unique periodic flow boiling in a single microchannel was observed at all heat flux conditions except for the increasing heat input distribution case which is the nearly uniform effective heat input distribution condition. The instability is correlated with flow pattern transition. For the nearly uniform effective heating condition, no fluctuation of the wall temperature, pressure drop, or mass flux was observed. We can relieve the instability by increasing total heat input along the flow direction and predict the instability using the transition criteria and flow pattern map.     

Dynamics of a finite-width liquid film in a co-current microchannel gas flow

The velocity fields and the parameters of a finite-width liquid film moving along the bottom of a mini- and a microchannel under the action of a gas flow are calculated. The investigations are performed for different levels of gravity. It is found that the thin liquid film distorts the velocity field in the gaseous phase. In contrast to the minichannel flow, in the microchannel the film surface is not leveled with increase in the gravity force.     

Thermal transport and performance analysis of pressure- and electroosmotically-driven liquid flow microchannel heat sink with wavy wall

The present study investigates the microchannel heat sinks (MCHSs) with smooth and wavy wall for pure electroosmotic flow (EOF), pressure-driven flow (PDF) and combined electroosmotic and pressure-driven flow (PDF + EOF). A three-dimensional numerical analysis was performed for EOF, PDF and combined flow (PDF + EOF) through finite volume analysis. The EOF was combined with the PDF to enhance the flow rate and to reduce the thermal resistance of the MCHS. The effect of wall waviness on electroosmosis and thermal performance of the MCHS was critically investigated for flow rate, friction factor, Nusselt number, thermal resistance and pumping power. The design variables related to the wavelength and amplitude and width of microchannel were investigated for their effect on the overall thermal performance and pumping power. The electroosmosis not only increases the flow rate but also suppresses the secondary flow developed due to the topology of the microchannel walls. The non-uniformity of the velocity and temperature is reduced due to the application of the EOF in a PDF and combined flow (PDF + EOF).