中国物理B ›› 2020, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (5): 54702-054702.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/ab7b4b

• ELECTROMAGNETISM, OPTICS, ACOUSTICS, HEAT TRANSFER, CLASSICAL MECHANICS, AND FLUID DYNAMICS • 上一篇    下一篇

Droplets breakup via a splitting microchannel

Wei Gao(高崴), Cheng Yu(于程), Feng Yao(姚峰)   

  1. 1 School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
    2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA;
    3 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
  • 收稿日期:2019-09-24 修回日期:2019-12-27 出版日期:2020-05-05 发布日期:2020-05-05
  • 通讯作者: Cheng Yu E-mail:chengy8@hawaii.edu

Droplets breakup via a splitting microchannel

Wei Gao(高崴)1, Cheng Yu(于程)2, Feng Yao(姚峰)3   

  1. 1 School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
    2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA;
    3 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Micro and Nano Heat Fluid Flow Technology and Energy Application, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
  • Received:2019-09-24 Revised:2019-12-27 Online:2020-05-05 Published:2020-05-05
  • Contact: Cheng Yu E-mail:chengy8@hawaii.edu

摘要: On the basis of a volume of fluid (VOF) liquid/liquid interface tracking method, we apply a two-dimensional model to investigate the dynamic behaviors of droplet breakup through a splitting microchannel. The feasibility and applicability of the theoretical model are experimentally validated. Four flow regimes are observed in the splitting microchannel, that is, breakup with permanent obstruction, breakup with temporary obstruction, breakup with tunnels, and non-breakup. The results indicate that the increase of the capillary number Ca provides considerable upstream pressure to accelerate the droplet deformation, which is favorable for the droplet breakup. The decrease of the droplet size contributes to its shape changing from the plug to the sphere, which results in weakening droplet deformation ability and generating the non-breakup flow regime.

关键词: microfluidics, droplet splitting, hydrodynamic, numerical simulation

Abstract: On the basis of a volume of fluid (VOF) liquid/liquid interface tracking method, we apply a two-dimensional model to investigate the dynamic behaviors of droplet breakup through a splitting microchannel. The feasibility and applicability of the theoretical model are experimentally validated. Four flow regimes are observed in the splitting microchannel, that is, breakup with permanent obstruction, breakup with temporary obstruction, breakup with tunnels, and non-breakup. The results indicate that the increase of the capillary number Ca provides considerable upstream pressure to accelerate the droplet deformation, which is favorable for the droplet breakup. The decrease of the droplet size contributes to its shape changing from the plug to the sphere, which results in weakening droplet deformation ability and generating the non-breakup flow regime.

Key words: microfluidics, droplet splitting, hydrodynamic, numerical simulation

中图分类号:  (Interactions with surfaces)

  • 47.55.dr
82.70.Kj (Emulsions and suspensions) 47.55.db (Drop and bubble formation) 68.05.-n (Liquid-liquid interfaces)