微通道液-液两相流动特性实验研究

利用高速摄像机与Canny算法,以硅油为离散相,含0. 5%SDS的蒸馏水为连续相,研究了凹穴型微通道内液-液两相流动特性。结果表明,直通道内观察弹状流、过渡流、滴状流3种流型。随着毛细数的增大,液滴形成机理由挤压机制向剪切机制转变,液滴速度逐渐增大,液滴长度逐渐减小。随着连续相流量的增加,液滴形成时间逐渐减小,且挤压机制生成液滴的时间大于剪切机制。凹穴结构减弱了壁面对液滴的限制,液滴速度降低,T型交汇处压差降低,相同工况下的液滴尺寸大于对冲T型微通道的液滴尺寸。     

流动聚焦微通道内牛顿微液滴在幂律剪切致稀流体中的生成研究

采用开源CFD软件OpenFOAM中的interFoam求解器对流动聚焦微通道内微液滴的形成过程进行了数值模拟。通过与文献中的实验数据进行对比,验证了VOF模型和幂律非牛顿流体模型的准确性。并以此为基础模拟了幂律剪切致稀流体中牛顿微液滴的形成过程,研究了幂律流体的幂律指数n和稠度系数K对微液滴生成的影响。研究表明,在滴状和挤压状流型中,离散线颈部宽度与周期内剩余时间呈幂律关系;离散线长度在坍塌阶段呈现线性缓慢增长,在夹断阶段呈现近似指数迅速增长的趋势。随着n和K的增大,液滴的尺寸逐渐减小,而生成频率则逐渐增大,且n的变化比K的变化对其产生的影响更明显。     

同轴微通道内管结构对液滴生成的影响规律研究

研究了同轴微通道内水-硅油体系的液滴生成过程。在不同的连续毛细数Ca_c和分散相Weber数We_d下,观察到滴出流和喷射流两种不同的流型。实验考察了两相流量、黏度和内管结构对液滴尺寸和液滴生成频率的影响。结果表明液滴尺寸随着分散相流量增加而增大,而随着连续相流量和黏度的增加而降低。此外,随着We_d的增加,流型会从滴出流过渡到喷射流,而更大尺寸的内管会更早过渡到喷射流,从而得到更大的液滴尺寸。对于液滴生成频率,其随Ca_c和We_d的增加均呈现先快速增加后变缓的趋势。当内管通道尺寸基本相同时,不同结构的内管通道在固定Ca_c时其液滴生成频率相差不大,且随着通道尺寸的减小,液滴生成频率逐渐增加。基于实验结果,建立了液滴尺寸预测模型,预测值与实验值吻合较好。     

阶梯式T型微通道内液滴、气泡分散规律

采用高速摄像仪对嵌入毛细管的阶梯式T型微通道内液滴和气泡的分散规律进行研究。考察了两相流量、黏度、表面活性剂浓度等因素对分散流型及分散尺寸的影响规律。结果表明,对于液滴分散过程,表面活性剂的浓度和连续相流量决定了分散流型,随二者增大,流型从dripping流向jetting流转变。对于气泡分散过程,实验范围内仅存在squeezing、dripping流型,表面活性剂的加入对气泡分散过程影响可忽略。嵌入毛细管的阶梯式T型微通道内获得的液滴、气泡直径小于微通道直径,根据实验结果基于两相流量和毛细管数分别建立了计算液滴、气泡分散尺寸的半经验模型,模型与实验结果符合良好。     

T形微通道内气泡（液滴）生成机理的研究进展

综述了T形微通道内气泡（液滴）的生成机理。讨论了挤压机制、剪切机制以及挤压-剪切共同作用机制下气泡（液滴）生成控制因素,表明挤压机制发生于受限气泡（液滴）的生成,其生成尺寸主要由气液流量控制;剪切机制发生于未受限气泡（液滴）生成,主要由毛细数控制;挤压和剪切共同作用机制发生于挤压-滴状转变区内气泡（液滴）的生成,并由毛细数和流量比共同控制。同时介绍了3种不同机制的物理模型以及黏度比对气泡（液滴）生成的影响。     

“一步法”微流控制备大直径复合乳粒中几何尺寸调控规律研究

复合乳粒几何尺寸的精密调控对于实现特定规格参数要求的聚合物空心微球的可控制备具有重要意义。基于“一步法”微流控装置,通过大量的实验获得了以油相与内水相流量比R和连续相毛细管数Ca为变量的复合乳粒构建操作区域图,并在能稳定形成复合乳粒区域范围内探讨了Ca、R以及管道尺寸对大直径复合乳粒几何尺寸的影响规律。实验结果表明：随着连续相毛细管数增大,复合乳粒几何尺寸(内径、外径和壁厚)均减小;随着油相与内水相流量比增大,复合乳粒内径减小,壁厚增大,而外径则呈现先减小后增大的趋势。此外,复合乳粒几何尺寸随管道直径增大而增大,且存在极限尺寸。实验结果可为单分散大直径复合乳粒的定量可控制备提供实验设计依据。     

Y聚焦型微通道内磁流体液滴的生成与调控

利用高速摄像仪研究了截面为400 μm×400 μm Y聚焦型微通道内磁流体液滴在矿物油中的生成过程。以水基磁流体EMG 807为分散相,含4%表面活性剂Span-20的矿物油为连续相。实验观察到了3种流型：弹状流、滴状流和喷射流。分别考察了两相流量、连续相毛细数及磁感应强度对液滴尺寸及生成过程的影响。结果表明：可通过改变两相流量及磁场调控液滴尺寸。当分散相流量不变时,液滴尺寸随着两相流量比的增加而减小。液滴尺寸随着连续相毛细数及磁感应强度的增加而减小,随着分散相流量的增加而增加。以两相流量比、连续相毛细数和磁Bond数为参数提出了一个液滴尺寸的关联式,预测值与实验值吻合良好。     

十字聚焦型微通道内弹状液滴在黏弹性流体中的生成与尺寸预测

利用高速摄像仪对十字聚焦微通道内液滴在黏弹性流体中的生成过程进行了实验研究。微通道截面为600μm×600 μm 的正方形结构,采用硅油作为分散相,含0.3%表面活性剂十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)的聚环氧乙烷(PEO)水溶液(质量分数分别为0.1%,0.3%,0.6%)为连续相。实验观察到了弹状流、滴状流和喷射流3 种流型。对弹状流型下液滴生成过程的颈部动力学进行了研究,考察了两相流率、连续相毛细数及弹性数对液滴尺寸的影响。结果表明:弹状液滴尺寸随连续相流率、毛细数及弹性数的增加而减小,随分散相流率的增加而增加,连续相弹性对液滴尺寸的影响相对较小。以油水两相流率比和连续相的毛细数及Reynolds 数为变量建立了弹状液滴尺寸的预测关联式,预测值与实验值吻合良好。     

正弦型微通道内液-液两相流型及流动特性实验研究

采用实验的方法对不混溶的液液两相流体在不同入口结构下的正弦微通道(直通道正弦、波峰正弦和波中正弦)内液滴的流动特性进行了分析。硅油作为离散相,含有0.5% SDS的蒸馏水作为连续相,观测到弹状流、滴状流和射状流。分析了两相流动参数及不同的微通道入口结构对流型和液滴长度的影响。流型受微通道入口结构影响较大,波峰正弦微通道能够生成最大范围的稳定的流型。液滴长度随离散相体积流量和离散相与连续相体积流量之比的增大而增大,随连续相的体积流量和毛细数的增大而降低。微通道入口结构对液滴长度有影响,直通道的正弦微通道内液滴长度最短,更有利于液滴的形成。三种通道生成的液滴中,最大的液滴尺寸是最小的液滴尺寸的1.15~1.39倍,但正弦流动段对液滴速度几乎没有影响。     

局部几何构型对聚焦流微通道内液滴生成特性的影响

在微流控技术中,微通道结构的优化设计是一种被动实现液滴精确调控的有效方法。为探究分散相入口、通道下游孔口以及二者共存模式下的通道结构变化对液滴生成特性的影响,采用VOF / CSF耦合level set的界面捕捉法对聚焦流微通道内的液滴生成开展了数值模拟研究。结果表明,当孔口为单一变量时,液滴生成周期和直径随孔口宽度呈近线性增大,且颈部宽度收缩率随孔口宽度的增大而不断减小。孔口的收缩有助于强化连续相Y方向的挤压和X方向的黏性剪切作用。当孔口宽度较小,聚焦作用较强时,液滴生成周期和直径整体上对分散相入口竖直和水平边锥形角的变化并不敏感;此时,孔口对连续相的聚焦效应主要影响液滴的生成特性。当孔口和分散相入口水平边锥形角θ₂同步变化时,二者可协同影响液滴的生成。孔口宽度的增大削弱了孔口的聚焦作用,液滴挤压破裂时间在单个周期中的占比逐渐增大。此外,当孔口宽度较大时,液滴生成开始对θ₂敏感,其周期和直径随θ₂增大而增大,且液滴可从滴流向射流模式转变。     

The liquid–liquid flow dynamics and droplet formation in a modified step T-junction microchannel

The droplet generation mechanism in the asymmetrically enhanced step T-junction remains unknown, especially for the transition stage from dripping to jetting regimes. In this work, the droplet generation mechanism was systematically investigated in a modified step T-junction by modulating a large flowrate range and altering different interfacial tensions. We found that under different fluid regimes, both the capillary number and flow rate ratio of continuous and dispersed phase showcase completely different impacts over droplet generation. In dripping regime, the interfacial tension, which was controlled by changing the surfactant concentration, dominated the formation mechanism when the surfactant concentration was found below micelle concentration. In jetting regime, our experimental results showed that the influence of the surfactant concentration on the size of generated droplets was rather negligible while the flow rate ratio of continuous and dispersed phase indeed determined such a parameter. In the dripping-jetting transition stage, an increase of droplet size was observed despite the increase of continuous phase flow. After reaching a peak, the droplet dimension started to decrease with the increase of continuous phase flow as expected. To the best for our knowledge, it is the first study to report generation mechanism in modified step T-junction from dripping to jetting regimes.     

Experimental and computational study of microfluidic flow‐focusing generation of gelatin methacrylate hydrogel droplets

This work presents the experimental and computational study of droplet generation for hydrogel prepolymer solution in oil using a flow‐focusing device. Effects of different parameters on hydrogel droplet generation and droplet sizes in a flow‐focusing device were investigated experimentally and computationally. First, three dimensional (3D) computational simulations were conducted to describe the physics of droplet formation in each regime and mechanism of three different regimes: squeezing, dripping, and jetting regime of hydrogel were investigated. Subsequently, the effects of viscosity, inertia force, and surface tension force on droplet generation, and droplet size were studied through these experiments. The experiments were carried out using different concentration of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel (5 wt % and 8 wt %) as the dispersed phase and two different continuous phase liquids (light mineral oil and hexadecane) with various concentrations of surfactant (0 wt %, 3 wt %, and 20 wt %). All experimental data was summarized by capillary number of dispersed phases and the continuous phases to characterize the different regimes of droplet generation and to predict the transition of dripping to a jetting regime for GelMA solution in flow‐focusing devices. It is shown that the transition of dripping to a jetting regime for GelMA happens at lower capillary numbers compared to aqueous solutions. Moreover, by increasing the viscous force of continuous phase or decreasing the interfacial force, the size of GelMA droplets was decreased. By controlling these parameters, the droplet sizes can be controlled between 30 μm and 200 μm, which are very suitable for cell encapsulation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43701.     

Visualization study of emulsion droplet formation in a coflowing microchannel

An experimental visualization study is conducted to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics of emulsion droplet formation in a coflowing microchannel. Both monodisperse and polydisperse patterns of drop formation are observed, including dripping regime, jetting regime (widening jetting and narrowing jetting). Especially, two dripping-to-jetting transition regimes and wavy regime with no individual droplet produced are captured and analyzed. A corresponding phase diagram is provided to characterize the transitions between different emulsification patterns through the control of flow rate of continuous phase. In addition, the dependence of generated droplet size on the Capillary number of the continuous phase (Ca) and the Weber number of the dispersed phase (We) is presented. It is indicated that, when Ca is below 3, the generated droplet size is sensitive to the viscous force and the drop formation regime is widening jetting and dripping. However, when Ca exceeds 3, the generated droplet size is approximately independent of Ca, and the droplet formation regime is thinning jetting.     

T-型微通道中液滴形成机制的CFD模拟

对微米级窄型T-型微通道中微液滴的形成机制进行了CFD模拟,验证了随毛细准数Ca的增加,液滴的形成会经历"squeezing"和"dripping"机制,且2个机制之间明显的存在着一个"transient"机制。通道壁的润湿性能对液滴的形成过程有显著影响,只有当通道壁更亲连续相时,微液滴才能形成。但与"dripping"机制不同,在"squee-zing"机制下,通道壁的润湿性对形成液滴的体积有明显的影响。     

Robust generation of monodisperse droplets using a microfluidic step emulsification device with triangular nozzle

In this work, the droplet generation process in the microfluidic step emulsification chip with a triangular nozzle (SE-T) was investigated in the combination of visualization experiment and numerical simulation, through a comparison with a rectangular nozzle (SE-R). The flow regimes, including dripping, dripping-jetting transition, and jetting, were observed in the SE-T, among which the dripping is the preferred flow regime to generate monodispersed droplet with corresponding C.V. (coefficient of variation) of the droplet size smaller than 1.9%. Compared with the SE-R, the larger space and expanding structure of the triangular nozzle in the SE-T enhance the wall wetting effects, which induces earlier appearance and accelerates shrinking of the neck. As a result, the SE-T exhibits more robust droplet performance under the dripping regime, which produces the droplets with nearly unchanged size and higher monodispersity, especially little related to the variations of surfactant concentrations and dispersed phase flow rates.     

Drop formation in a co-flowing ambient fluid

Drop formation at a capillary tip in laminar flow is investigated experimentally. The disperse phase is injected via a needle into another co-flowing immiscible fluid. Two different drop formation mechanisms are distinguished: Either the drops are formed close to the capillary tip—dripping—or they break up from an extended liquid jet—jetting. The effect of the process and material parameters on the drop formation depends on the breakup mechanism and has to be investigated for each flow domain separately. In this study, we focus on dripping. The drop breakup is affected by the flow dynamics of both the disperse and the continuous phase. Consequently, we investigate the effect of flow rates, fluid viscosities and interfacial tension on the droplet size and observe the dynamics of satellite drop generation. Whereas the fundamentals of disperse fluid injection via a capillary into an ambient fluid have been investigated extensively, the focus of this article is on providing a comprehensive experimental data set for proving the applicability of this technique as a dispersing tool. It is shown that drop formation at a capillary tip into a co-flowing ambient liquid represents a promising technique for the production of monodisperse droplets where the droplet size is controlled externally by the flow strength of the continuous phase. The breakup dynamics changes significantly at the transition point from dripping to jetting. Consequently, the transition point between the flow domains represents an important operating point. In this article, dripping is demarcated from jetting by studying the influence of the various material and process parameters on the transition point.