Measurement of particle migration in micro-channel by multi-capacitance sensing method

Study of particle migration is important to enhance and increase the efficiency of the positioning and sorting process in order to produce the high yield of desired product especially in microfluidic applications. In this study, in order to study particle migration, normalized particle concentration in a micro-channel has been calculated for high initial particle concentrations (ξ=3.0, 5.0 and 10.0%) and the small particle diameters (d_p=1.3, 1.5 and 2.1 μm) by using capacitance data measured by a multi-capacitance sensing method. From the calculations, it has been observed that the particle concentration at the wall vicinity area is increased as ξ and d_p are increased while the particle concentration at the center area is decreased. To analyze the tendency of the particle migration, two quantitative indicators are introduced, viz., streamwise migration ratio (Ψ) which is the ratio of particle concentration at the downstream to the upstream cross-section position, and the cross-sectional migration ratio (Φ) which is the ratio of the particle concentration at the wall to the center area at the same cross-sectional position. The result shows that the Ψ at the center area is decreased as the particles move along the channel irrespective of ξ and d_p while the Ψ at the wall vicinity area is increased. Based on Ψ and Φ, it has been observed that the particle migrate from the center area towards the wall vicinity area in the case of low ξ and small d_p while the particles tend to concentrate on the center area in the case of high ξ and the large d_p. As a result, the particle concentration at center is higher in the case of the lower ξ and the smaller d_p than that in the case of higher ξ and the larger d_p.     

A study of flows in tangentially crossing micro-channels

In the present study, flow fields in the three-dimensional, tangentially crossing micro-channels were studied. The effect of the relevant geometrical parameters such as the aspect ratio, contact surface area, surface to volume factor, flow rate and cross angle on the flow turning was reported. When the geometries and the flow conditions of the two crossing channels were the same, the fraction of turning flow was found to be dependent on the aspect ratio of the channel as reported previously in the literature. However, if the configuration and flow conditions of the two channels were different, the results need to be clarified. A parameter of non-dimensionalized surface to volume ratio was devised to characterize the flow turning. And the parameter was tested against its validity using numerical simulation and the available experimental data. The experiments on the crossing angle were conducted to show that larger angle in general yielded higher turning flow ratio. The results are expected to be useful in the passive control of flow in micro-fluidic devices among others.     

Micro-channel flow boiling heat transfer of R-134a, R-236fa, and R-245fa

The rapid development of micro-thermal technologies has conveyed an increasing interest on convective boiling in micro-channels. Although there is general agreement that these systems may be able to dissipate potentially very high heat fluxes per unit volume, their heat transfer characteristics are still unclear and require investigation. The present study illustrates heat transfer data for flow boiling in a single micro-channel, for two channel diameters, namely, 510 and 790 μm, three fluids, namely, R-134a, R-236fa and R-245fa, mass velocities from 300 to 2,000 kg/m² s, and heat fluxes up to 200 kW/m². Stable flow boiling heat transfer data are analyzed through a parametric investigation, and are also confronted with measurements in the presence of two-phase oscillatory instabilities, which were found to significantly change the trends with respect to vapor quality.     

Static and dynamic behaviour of gas bubbles in T-shaped non-clogging micro-channels

Preventing micro-channels from clogging is a major issue in most micro and nanofluidic systems (Gravesen et al., J Micromech Microeng 3(4):168–182, 1993; Jensen et al., In: Proc. of MicroTAS 2002, Nara, Japan, pp 733–735, 2002; Wong et al., J Fluid Mech 292:71–94, 1995). The T-shaped channel first reported by Kohnle et al. (In: IEEE MEMS, the 15th international IEEE micro electro mechanical conference (ed), Las Vegas, pp 77–80, 2002) prevents micro-channels from clogging by the aid of the equilibrium bubble position in such a geometry. This work is concerned with the static and dynamic behaviour of bubbles in such T-shaped micro-channels. The aspect ratio of a rectangle enclosing the T-shaped channel and the contact angle of the walls are the main parameters influencing the static and dynamic bubble behaviour. It is investigated in this article how these parameters relate to the equilibrium bubble shape and how optimum bubble velocities can be achieved inside the channel. An analytical model depending on the contact angle and the channel geometry is presented that allows to determine the bubble configuration inside the channel by minimizing the bubble’s surface energy. A second model is derived to predict the velocity of gas bubbles driven by buoyancy in vertical T-shaped channels. The model is applied to design T-shaped channels with a maximum mobility of gas bubbles. Experiments with MEMS fabricated devices and CFD simulations are used to verify the models. Furthermore design rules for an optimum non-clogging channel geometry which provides the highest gas bubble mobility are given.     

A review on the analysis and experiment of fluid flow and mixing in micro-channels

The studies with respect to micro-channels and micro-mixers are expanding in many dimensions. Most significant area of micro-mixer study is the flow analysis in various micro-channel configurations. The flow phenomena in microchannel devices are quite different from that of the macro-scale devices. An attempt is made here to review the important recent literature available in the area of micro-channel flow analysis and mixing. The topics covered include the physics of flow in micro-channels and integrated simulation of the micro-channel flow. Also, the flow control models and electro-kinetically driven micro-channel flows are dealt in detail. A survey of important numerical methods, which are currently popular for micro-channel flow analysis, is carried out. Different options for mixing in microchannels are provided, in sufficient detail.     

Micro powder injection moulding of alumina micro-channel part

A feedstock consisting of submicron alumina powder and a formulated binder, was developed to fabricate alumina micro-channel part by micro powder injection moulding. During small scale-mixing, the mixing torques of feedstocks with four different powder loadings were used to establish a suitable powder loading. The thermal and rheological properties of the selected feedstock were examined and used to establish conditions for large scale mixing, debinding and injection moulding. The micro-channel parts were pressureless sintered at different temperatures. The results showed that the moulded, debound and sintered micro-channel parts had good shape retention. The dimensions of the micro-channel part changed with the different processing steps. High densification of the micro-channel parts was achieved at sintering temperatures of 1350 °C and above. Above 1350 °C, the grain grew significantly with increasing the sintering temperatures and thus it led to a decrease in the microhardness.     

A multi-function compact fuel reforming reactor for fuel cell applications

A multi-function compact chemical reactor designed for hydrocarbon steam reforming was evaluated. The reactor design is based on diffusion bonded laminate micro-channel heat exchanger technology. The reactor consists of a combustor layer, which is sandwiched between two steam reforming layers. Between the two function layers, a temperature monitor and control layer is placed, which is designed to locate the temperature sensors. The combustor layer has four individually controlled combustion zones each connected to a separate fuel supply. The reactor design offers the potential to accurately control the temperature distribution along the length of the reactor using closed loop temperature control. The experimental results show that the variance of temperature along the reactor is negligible. The conversion efficiency of the combustor layer is approximately 90%. The heat transfer efficiency from combustion layer to reforming layers is 65-85% at 873 K and 673 K, respectively. The heat transfer rate to the reforming layers is sufficient to support a steam reformation of propane at a rate of 0.7 dm³/min (STP) with a steam to carbon ratio of 2 at 873 K.     

Feasibility investigations on a novel micro-manufacturing process for fabrication of fuel cell bipolar plates: Internal pressure-assisted embossing of micro-channels with in-die mechanical bonding

In this paper, we present the results of our studies on conceptual design and feasibility experiments towards development of a novel hybrid manufacturing process to fabricate fuel cell bipolar plates that consists of multi-array micro-channels on a large surface area. The premises of this hybrid micro-manufacturing process stem from the use of an internal pressure-assisted embossing process (cold or warm) combined with mechanical bonding of double bipolar plates in a single-die and single-step operation. Such combined use of hydraulic and mechanical forming forces and in-process bonding will (a) enable integrated forming of micro-channels on both surfaces (as anode and cathode flow fields) and at the middle (as cooling channels), (b) reduce the process steps, (c) reduce variation in dimensional tolerances and surface finish, (d) increase the product quality, (e) increase the performance of fuel cell by optimizing flow-field designs and ensuring consistent contact resistance, and (f) reduce the overall stack cost. This paper explains two experimental investigations that were performed to characterize and evaluate the feasibility of the conceptualized manufacturing process. The first investigation involved hydroforming of micro-channels using thin sheet metals of SS304 with a thickness of 51 μm. The width of the channels ranged from 0.46 to 1.33 mm and the height range was between 0.15 and 0.98 mm. Our feasibility experiments resulted in that different aspect ratios of micro-channels could be fabricated using internal pressure in a controllable manner although there is a limit to very sharp channel shapes (i.e., high aspect ratios with narrow channels). The second investigation was on the feasibility of mechanical bonding of thin sheet metal blanks. The effects of different process and material variables on the bond quality were studied. Successful bonding of various metal blanks (Ni201, Al3003, and SS304) was obtained. The experimental results from both investigations demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed manufacturing technique for making of the fuel cell bipolar plates.     

制冷剂充注量对新型换热器汽车空调的影响

为了减少R134a的直接排放,各厂商积极采用新型高效换热器来减少汽车空调系统的充注量.在焓差试验台研究传统汽车空调和采用微通道蒸发器和过冷式冷凝器的汽车空调系统的充注量情况,结果表明新型换热器能够显著降低系统的制冷剂充注量,并且在最佳充注量下,蒸发器能够保证一定的过热度,冷凝器出口有足够的过冷度,使系统运行性能最优.采用新型换热器系统的制冷量提高了18％左右,COP提升了约5％,最佳充注量反而比传统系统小100g,.