Simulation of the hydrodynamics and mass transfer in a falling film wavy microchannel

The flow in a liquid falling film is predominantly laminar, and the liquid-side mass transfer is limited by molecular diffusion. The effective way to enhance the mass transfer is to improve the liquid film flow behavior. The falling film behaviors of water, ethanol and ethylene glycol in nine different wavy microchannels were simulated by Computational Fluid Dynamics. The simulation results show that the falling film thickness exhibits a waveform distribution resulting in a resonance phenomenon along the wavy microchannel. The fluctuation of liquid film surface increases the gas–liquid interface area, and the internal eddy flow inside the liquid film also improves the turbulence of liquid film, the gas–liquid mass transfer in falling film microchannels is intensified. Compared with flat microchannel, the CO_2 absorption efficiency in water in the wavy microchannel is improved over 41%. Prediction models of liquid film amplitude and average liquid film thickness were established respectively.     

Droplet formation of H2SO4/alkane system in a T‐junction microchannel: Gravity effect

A special system of concentrated sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and n‐hexane was used to study the droplet formation in a glass T‐junction microchannel with H₂SO₄ as the continuous phase. The effects of capillary number, flow ratio, and viscosity ratio on the droplet formation were investigated. The effect of gravity was explored by changing the flow direction in the microchannel. Results showed that the formation of transition flow pattern from squeezing to dripping is much easier for this special system compared with common aqueous/organic systems. This phenomenon is due to the considerably higher viscosity of H₂SO₄ than that of common aqueous phase and the higher density difference of the system compared with those of common systems. In addition to capillary number and flow ratio, gravity evidently affects the formation of droplets and flow patterns. The droplet size is smaller than that during the horizontal flow when the flow direction is consistent with gravity. By contrast, flow direction contrary to that of gravity results in larger droplet size than that at horizontal flow. This phenomenon provides guidance on the operation of these special systems in microchannels. Finally, mathematical models of droplet size at different flow patterns have been established, and these models can predict droplet size very well. This study could be helpful to extend the application of microreactors to new working systems. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 4564–4573, 2016     

基于两相流流型的平行流冷凝器整体仿真模型与实验验证

引言平行流冷凝器作为一种新颖的换热器加之其不同于传统翅片管换热器的结构,因此其传热流动性能尚处研究之中。尤其是平行流冷凝器制冷剂侧微通道两相流机制及其转变不同于常规的管子,以往关于平行流冷凝器整体仿真模型的研究中,微通道两相流数值模拟大都采用传统大管径模型或者修正     

微流芯片制备粒径均一的壳聚糖-NaCS/TPP微胶囊

以壳聚糖、纤维素硫酸钠（NaCS）和三聚磷酸钠（TPP）为原料,采用十字型微流芯片制备了粒径均一的壳聚糖-NaCS/TPP微胶囊,微通道宽200 μm,高1 mm。分析了微通道内的三种流动状态、分散剂用量、壳聚糖浓度、油水两相流速等因素对壳聚糖微液滴形成的影响,确定了合适的制备条件。以2%(质量)壳聚糖醋酸水溶液为水相,液体石蜡为油相,5%(质量)Span 85为油相分散剂,水相流速5 μl·min^-1,调节油相/水相流速比为40～100,可以形成均匀的壳聚糖微液滴,粒径分布系数小于0.1。壳聚糖微液滴与1% NaCS和3% TPP的混合溶液反应,固化形成了中间空心、周边由两层膜构成的壳聚糖-NaCS/TPP微胶囊。结果表明,采用微流芯片可以有效控制液滴直径,制备粒径均一的微胶囊。     

Modeling of velocity distribution among microchannels with triangle manifolds

A model of velocity distribution among microchannels with triangle manifolds is proposed. According to the flow behaviors analyzed by Fluent, the manifolds are divided into several approximate rectangular channels, and then an equivalent simplified resistance network model is developed to establish the relationships between the velocities and pressure drops in microchannels and approximate rectangular channels. The velocity distributions are calculated under two situations, respectively, considering and ignoring singular losses. The outcomes of the present study are compared with Fluent's simulated results to analyze the effects of singular losses on the velocity distributions. It indicates that the proposed model is suitable for the calculation of velocity distribution among microchannels with obtuse angled or right triangle manifolds under low Reynolds numbers. The premise of ignoring singular losses is that the frictional pressure drops are three times larger than the singular pressure drops in each flow loop. The manifold optimization results indicate that the velocity distribution among microchannels with right triangle manifolds is much more uniform than that of the corresponding one with obtuse angled manifolds. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 55: 1969–1982, 2009     

大电流、高增益门控光电倍增管的研究

介绍了一个目前国内外公开文献报导中输出电流最大、电流增益最高且具有门控选通功能的微通道板光电倍增管，该管采用了大直径输入窗、多碱光电阴极、三块微通道作倍增极的近贴聚焦结构。     

Capabilities and limitations of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional numerical methods in modeling the fluid flow in sudden expansion microchannels

This paper deals with computational and experimental investigations into pressure-driven flow in sudden expansion microfluidic channels. Improving the design and operation of microfluidic systems requires that the capabilities and limitations of 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) numerical methods in simulating the flow field in a sudden expansion microchannel be well understood. The present 2-D simulation results indicate that a flow separation vortex forms in the corner behind the sudden expansion microchannel when the Reynolds number is very low (Re∼0.1). However, the experimental results indicate that this prediction is valid only in the case of a sudden expansion microchannel with a high aspect ratio (aspect ratio >> 1). 3-D computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed to predict the critical value of Re at which the flow separation vortex phenomenon is induced in sudden expansion microchannels of different aspect ratios. The experimental flow visualization results are found to be in good agreement with the 3-D numerical predictions. The present results provide designers with a valuable guideline when choosing between 2-D or 3-D numerical simulations as a means of improving the design and operation of microfluidic devices.     

The role of microchannel geometry selection on heat transfer enhancement in heat sinks: A review

Extensive research has been carried out by researchers for improving the thermal efficiency of the microchannel. There are various types of methodologies that have been proposed by authors for different geometry and fluid flow. The use of microchannel in the miniature heat exchangers and microchannel heat sink (MCHS) have taken the science of heat transfer to an another level for which the field of electronic device cooling, aerospace applications, automobile sectors, biomedical engineering, and chemical engineering sectors are being keen toward further development of the technology. Since 3 decades, the microchannel has been tested numerically, experimentally, and analytically for establishing the theories of hydraulic and thermal efficiency during fluid flow. Improper geometry selection of microchannel may lead to carry various losses such as pressure drop, friction factor, wall shear stress, and temperature jump. Available investigations and results have been reviewed immensely in this paper to give a clear prospective for further research in selecting a proper channel geometry.     

Effects of fin shapes on heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

In the present study, compact water cooling of high‐density, high‐speed, very‐large‐scale integrated (VLSI) circuits with the help of microchannel heat exchangers were investigated analytically. This study also presents the result of mathematical analysis based on the modified Bessel function of laminar fluid flow and heat transfer through combined conduction and convection in a microchannel heat sink with triangular extensions. The main purpose of this paper is to find the dimensions of a heat sink that give the least thermal resistance between the fluid and the heat sink, and the results are compared with that of rectangular fins. It is seen that the triangular heat sink requires less substrate material as compared to rectangular fins, and the heat transfer rate per unit volume has been almost doubled by using triangular heat sinks. It is also found that the effectiveness of the triangular fin is higher than that of the rectangular fin. Therefore, the triangular heat sink has the ability to dissipate large amounts of heat with relatively less temperature rise for the same fin volume. Alternatively, triangular heat sinks may thus be more cost effective to use for cooling ultra‐high speed VLSI circuits than rectangular heat sinks.     

Flow and thermal analysis of Oldroyd 8 constant fluid in a porous channel

The present research is based on the thermal and flow properties of the viscoelastic Oldroyd 8 constant fluid in an upright microchannel. The energy and momentum equations were solved with the support of temperature Jump and velocity slip boundary conditions. To measure the irreversibility rate of the flow system, the acquired results of velocity and thermal equations were used. To crack the current mathematical model problem, the numerical Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method was used. With the aid of graphs, the effect of physical parameters such as thermal radiation, thermal-dependent heat source, Joule heating, fluid parameters, velocity slip, and temperature Jump parameters on the fluid flow, thermal energy, and system entropy generation was discussed. Fluid parameters have different effects on the velocity profile. The Grashof and Hartmann numbers demonstrate opposite effects on the momentum field. The thermal energy of the system reduces with thermal radiation and temperature Jump factor. The thermal radiation, Hartmann number, and temperature Jump parameters reduce the system's irreversibility rate. With the Brinkman number and temperature Jump parameter, the irreversibility ratio increases.