Effects of Flow Rate on Formation Behavior of Two-Phase Slug Flow in a Microchannel T-junction

Abstract

Droplets of slug flow made on micro channel T-junction is used for emulsion, solid beads and so on as the applications. It is necessary to control a size of slugs for these applications and also needed to understand the mechanism of formation process of slug flow. In the present study, relationship between the formation behavior of slug flow at the T-junction and length of droplet of two-phase slug flow has been studied experimentally and numerically. We observed formation behavior of two phase slug flow at the T-junction in detail by using silicon-glass micro channel which width and depth are 100 μm respectively and measured length of the droplet of slug flow by the observation. We also simulated two-phase slug flow in a micro channel to examine the mechanism of formation process of slug flow by using phase-field model lattice Boltzmann method. We confirmed that length of droplet which is formed by same flow rate of continuous and dispersed phase became shorter with increasing of Weber number by experimental results and numerical simulation. In addition, it is also confirmed that interface shape has influence on slug length. By numerical simulation, it is suggested that interface shape can change as a competition between shear-stress and interface-tension forces.