Simulations of Tesla Valve Micromixer for Water Purification with Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

Abstract

Heavy metals can contaminate water through both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. Unlike organic contaminants, heavy metals are toxic, not biodegradable, and possess the ability to accumulate in organisms. Effective mixing between contaminated water and nanoparticles is of great importance in various purification applications of microfluidics, especially when heavy metals are involved. In these terms, a series of simulations were performed to succeed in an effective mixing of iron oxide nanoparticles in the duct. The selected geometry for the simulations was the Tesla valve which was used as a micromixer. In the present work, a stream loaded with nanoparticles and a stream with contaminated water are numerically studied for various inlet velocity ratios of the two streams. Better mixing is achieved, compared with relative works, under Vp/Vc = 10, for an inlet rate of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles per second equal to 1000.