Volume-preserving strategies to improve the mixing efficiency of serpentine micromixers

Abstract

In this study, we have proposed volume-preserving strategies to boost chaoticadvection and improve the mixing efficiency of serpentine micromixers. The proposed strategies revolve around the point that the volume of the micromixer is kept constant during the manipulation. The first strategy involves the utilization of a nozzle-diffuser (ND) shaped microchannel. Using this, the velocity of the fluids fluctuates in an alternating pattern, leading to additional chaotic advection, a decrease in the mixing path, and an increase in the mixing index. The second strategy uses non-aligned inlets to generate swirl inducing effects at the microchannel entrance, where the collision of two fluids generates angular momentum in the flow, providing more chaotic advection. These strategies proved to be effective in boosting the mixing efficiency over wide ranges of Re in which 60% enhancement (from 20.53% to 80.31%) was achieved for Re of 30 by applying an ND shaped microchannel, and 20% enhancement (from 12.71% to 32.21%) was achieved for a critical Re of 15 by applying both of the strategies simultaneously.