Circular Mixer Research Articles

Thermal effects on two-phase flow in 2D mixers using SPH

The present study is concerned with the numerical simulation of thermal effects of blades on the mixing process in micromixers with circular and elliptical chambers. Simulation of the problems including moving objects, sharp corners and small gaps, which are significant challenges in CFD, is performed here by applying the meshfree Lagrangian particle method of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). To ensure the accuracy of the modified computational code, validations are carried out for the heat conduction in a slab and Taylor-Couette flow and the numerical results are successfully compared with the analytical solutions. As there is a limited knowledge of thermal effects of blades on the mixing process in micromixers with circular and elliptical chambers, numerical investigations are conducted for different temperature ratios and mixer geometries. In liquids, temperature and mass diffusion are inversely related to the viscosity. Therefore, it will be shown that the local Schmidt number decreases as the temperature increases, which will lead to an increase in the mixing rate. Furthermore, in elliptical mixers, the reduction of the mixing index occurs with a higher gradient compared to the circular mixers.

Mixing process of two-phase non-Newtonian fluids in 2D using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

Numerical simulation of mixing process in mixers is a complicated problem due to geometries that include moving parts and sharp corners. Grid-based numerical methods have considerable accuracy in simulating mechanical phenomena; however, these methods encounter problems in dealing with deformable boundaries, moving interfaces and extremely large deformations. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) which is a fully Lagrangian particle-based method, does not suffer from the problems related to grid regenerating. In this research, the mixing process for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in circular and elliptical one-blade and two-blade blenders is simulated using the SPH method. After validating the computational code, the mixing process is simulated in different conditions. The effects of geometry of mixer, the number of blades and the rotating modes of the blades, on the mixing performance are investigated. The results show that at the end of the mixing process, the one-blade circular mixer has the best performance; however, during a certain time interval of the mixing process (this interval depends on the type of mixer), the other mixers have better performance than that of the one-blade circular mixer. Therefore, if the time of the mixing process is limited (achieving a certain degree of homogeneity in a limited time), choosing the right kind of mixer, which has the best performance at the desired time, is very crucial.

Lagrangian simulation and analysis of the power-law fluid mixing in the two-blade circular mixers using a modified WCSPH method

Abstract In the present study, we introduce a robust modified Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) method in order to examine miscible mixing within a two-blade paddle mixer. Since it has a Lagrangian nature and it is based on particles, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is an appropriate and convenient method for simulating the moving boundary problems and tracking the particles in the mixing process. The present study thus introduces a convenient SPH method for modelling the mixing process for the power-law fluids. Two geometries for the mixer are examined and the effects of the power-law index on the fluid mixing are investigated. The results show that the geometric change from circular chamber to twin chamber considerably increases the mixing rate (by at least 49%). The results also indicate that the twin chamber mixer is more efficient for the fluids with higher power-law index.

Micro Fluidic Oscillator: A Technical Solution for Micro Mixture

The diffusion flux given by the Fick’s law characterizethe mixing rate. A passive mixing strategy is proposed to enhance mixing of two fluids through perturbed jet low. A numerical study of passive mixers has been presented. This paper is focused on the modeling of a micro-injection systems composed of passive amplifier without mechanical part. The micro-system modeling is based on geometrical oscillators form. An asymmetric micro-oscillator design based on a monostable fluidic amplifier is proposed [2,7]. The characteristic size of the channels is generally about a few hundred of microns. The numerical results indicate that the mixing performance can be as high as 99 % within a typical mixing chamber of0.20 mm diameter inlet and 2.0 mm distance of nozzle - spliter. In addition, the results confirm that self-rotation in the circular mixer significantly enhances the mixing performance. The novel micro mixing method presented in this study provides a simple solution to mixing problems in microsystem.

Rapid circular microfluidic mixer utilizing unbalanced driving force

This paper proposes a novel rapid circular microfluidic mixer for micro-total-analysis-systems (mu-TAS) applications in which an unbalanced driving force is used to mix fluids in a circular chamber at low Reynolds numbers (Re). The microfluidic mixer has a three-layered structure and is fabricated on low-cost glass slides using a simple and reliable fabrication process. Using hydrodynamic pumps, fluids are driven from two inlet ports into a circular mixing chamber. Each inlet port separates into two separate channels, which are then attached to opposite sides of the 3-dimensional (3-D) circular mixing chamber. The unequal lengths of these inlet channels generate an unbalanced driving force, which enhances the mixing effect in the mixing chamber. Numerical simulations are performed to predict the fluid phenomena in the mixing chamber and to estimate the mixing performance under various Reynolds number conditions. The numerical results are verified by performing flow visualization experiments. A good agreement is found between the two sets of results. The numerical and experimental results reveal that the mixing performance can reach 91% within a mixing chamber of 1 mm diameter at a Reynolds number of Re=3. Additionally, the results confirm that the unbalanced driving force produces a flow rotation in the circular mixer at low Reynolds numbers, which significantly enhances the mixing performance. The novel micromixing method presented in this study provides a simple solution for mixing problems in Lab-on-a-chip systems.

A rapid three-dimensional vortex micromixer utilizing self-rotation effects under low Reynolds number conditions

This paper proposes a novel three-dimensional (3D) vortex micromixer for micro-total-analysis-systems (μTAS) applications which utilizes self-rotation effects to mix fluids in a circular chamber at low Reynolds numbers (Re). The microfluidic mixer is fabricated in a three-layer glass structure for delivering fluid samples in parallel. The fluids are driven into the circular mixing chamber by means of hydrodynamic pumps from two fluid inlet ports. The two inlet channels divide into eight individual channels tangent to a 3D circular chamber for the purpose of mixing. Numerical simulation of the microfluidic dynamics is employed to predict the self-rotation phenomenon and to estimate the mixing performance under various Reynolds number conditions. Experimental flow visualization by mixing dye samples is performed in order to verify the numerical simulation results. A good agreement is found to exist between the two sets of results. The numerical results indicate that the mixing performance can be as high as 90% within a mixing chamber of 1 mm diameter when the Reynolds number is Re = 4. Additionally, the results confirm that self-rotation in the circular mixer enhances the mixing performance significantly, even at low Reynolds numbers. The novel micromixing method presented in this study provides a simple solution to mixing problems in the lab-chip system.

Modes of granular segregation in a noncircular rotating cylinder.

Axial segregation is a well-known example of segregation of granular materials. However, at present, there is no conclusive explanation as to why it occurs. Most studies of axial segregation to date are based on cylinders with circular cross sections, and models focus on the character of the surface flow without accounting explicitly for the influence of any subsurface detail. The present experiments demonstrate that the cross section of the mixer has a significant influence on axial segregation and that subsurface dynamics are, in fact, important. Unlike circular mixers, in square mixers the subsurface segregation patterns change with filling level, as does the time dependence of axial segregation. Furthermore, when radial segregation patterns in noncircular mixers most closely resemble that observed for circular cylinders, the time dependence for axial band formation deviates the most. These results challenge segregation theories of axial segregation that ignore subsurface effects.

Chaotic mixing of granular materials in two-dimensional tumbling mixers.

We consider the mixing of similar, cohesionless granular materials in quasi-two-dimensional rotating containers by means of theory and experiment. A mathematical model is presented for the flow in containers of arbitrary shape but which are symmetric with respect to rotation by 180 degrees and half-filled with solids. The flow comprises a thin cascading layer at the flat free surface, and a fixed bed which rotates as a solid body. The layer thickness and length change slowly with mixer rotation, but the layer geometry remains similar at all orientations. Flow visualization experiments using glass beads in an elliptical mixer show good agreement with model predictions. Studies of mixing are presented for circular, elliptical, and square containers. The flow in circular containers is steady, and computations involving advection alone (no particle diffusion generated by interparticle collisions) show poor mixing. In contrast, the flow in elliptical and square mixers is time periodic and results in chaotic advection and rapid mixing. Computational evidence for chaos in noncircular mixers is presented in terms of Poincare sections and blob deformation. Poincare sections show regions of regular and chaotic motion, and blobs deform into homoclinic tendrils with an exponential growth of the perimeter length with time. In contrast, in circular mixers, the motion is regular everywhere and the perimeter length increases linearly with time. Including particle diffusion obliterates the typical chaotic structures formed on mixing; predictions of the mixing model including diffusion are in good qualitative and quantitative (in terms of the intensity of segregation variation with time) agreement with experimental results for mixing of an initially circular blob in elliptical and square mixers. Scaling analysis and computations show that mixing in noncircular mixers is faster than that in circular mixers, and the difference in mixing times increases with mixer size. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.