Molecular dynamics simulation of the flow mechanism of shear-thinning fluids in a microchannel

Shear-thinning fluids have been widely used in microfluidic systems,but their internal flow mechanism is still unclear.Therefore,in this paper,molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the laminar flow of shear-thinning fluid in a microchannel.We validated the feasibility of our simulation method by evaluating the mean square displacement and Reynolds number of the solution layers.The results show that the change rule of the fluid system's velocity profile and interaction energy can reflect the shear-thinning characteristics of the fluids.The velocity profile resembles a top-hat shape,intensifying as the fluid's power law index decreases.The interaction energy between the wall and the fluid decreases gradually with increasing velocity,and a high concentration of non-Newtonian fluid reaches a plateau sooner.Moreover,the velocity profile of the fluid is related to the molecule number density distribution and their values are inversely proportional.By analyzing the radial distribution function,we found that the hydrogen bonds between solute and water molecules weaken with the increase in velocity.This observation offers an explanation for the shear-thinning phenomenon of the non-Newtonian flow from a micro perspective.

Microchannel reactive distillation for the conversion of aqueous ethanol to ethylene

Here we demonstrate the proof-of-concept for microchannel reactive distillation for alcohol-to-jet application:combining ethanol/water separation and ethanol dehydration in one unit operation.Ethanol is first distilled into the vapor phase,converted to ethylene and water,and then the water co-product is condensed to shift the reaction equilibrium.Process intensification is achieved through rapid mass transfer-ethanol stripping from thin wicks using novel microchannel architectures-leading to lower residence time and improved separation efficiency.Energy savings are realized with integration of unit operations.For example,heat of condensing water can offset vaporizing ethanol.Furthermore,the dehydration reaction equilibrium shifts towards completion by immediate removal of the water byproduct upon formation while maintaining aqueous feedstock in the condensed phase.For aqueous ethanol feedstock(40%_w),71% ethanol conversion with 91% selectivity to ethylene was demonstrated at 220℃,600psig,and 0.28 h^(-1) wt hour space velocity.2.7 stages of separation were also demonstrated,under these conditions,using a device length of 8.3 cm.This provides a height equivalent of a theoretical plate(HETP),a measure of separation efficiency,of ^(3).3 cm.By comparison,conventional distillation packing provides an HETP of ^(3)0 cm.Thus,9,1 × reduction in HETP was demonstrated over conventional technology,providing a means for significant energy savings and an example of process intensification.Finally,preliminary process economic analysis indicates that by using microchannel reactive distillation technology,the operating and capital costs for the ethanol separation and dehydration portion of an envisioned alcoholto-jet process could be reduced by at least 35% and 55%,respectively,relative to the incumbent technology,provided future improvements to microchannel reactive distillation design and operability are made.

Overall Assessment of Heat Transfer for a Rarefied Flow in a Microchannel with Obstacles Using Lattice Boltzmann Method

The objective of this investigation is to assess the effect of obstacles on numerical heat transfer and fluid flow momentum in a rectangular microchannel(MC).Two distinct configurations were studied:one without obstacles and the other with alternating obstacles placed on the upper and lower walls.The research utilized the thermal lattice Boltzmann method(LBM),which solves the energy and momentum equations of fluids with the BGK approximation,implemented in a Python coding environment.Temperature jump and slip velocity conditions were utilized in the simulation for the MC and extended to all obstacle boundaries.The study aims to analyze the rarefaction effect,with Knudsen numbers(Kn)of 0.012,0.02,and 0.05.The outcomes indicate that rarefaction has a significant impact on the velocity and temperature distribution.The presence of nine obstacles led to slower fluid movement inside the microchannel MC,resulting in faster cooling at the outlet.In MCs with obstacles,the rarefaction effect plays a crucial role in decreasing the Nusselt number(Nu)and skin friction coefficient(Cf).Furthermore,the study demonstrated that the obstacles played a crucial role in boosting fluid flow and heat transfer in the MC.The findings suggest that the examined configurations could have potential applications as cooling technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems and microdevice applications.

Effect of boundary slip on electroosmotic flow in a curved rectangular microchannel

The aim of this study is to numerically investigate the impact of boundary slip on electroosmotic flow(EOF) in curved rectangular microchannels. Navier slip boundary conditions were employed at the curved microchannel walls. The electric potential distribution was governed by the Poisson–Boltzmann equation, whereas the velocity distribution was determined by the Navier–Stokes equation. The finite-difference method was employed to solve these two equations. The detailed discussion focuses on the impact of the curvature ratio, electrokinetic width, aspect ratio and slip length on the velocity. The results indicate that the present problem is strongly dependent on these parameters. The results demonstrate that by varying the dimensionless slip length from 0.001 to 0.01 while maintaining a curvature ratio of 0.5 there is a twofold increase in the maximum velocity. Moreover, this increase becomes more pronounced at higher curvature ratios. In addition, the velocity difference between the inner and outer radial regions increases with increasing slip length. Therefore, the incorporation of the slip boundary condition results in an augmented velocity and a more non-uniform velocity distribution. The findings presented here offer valuable insights into the design and optimization of EOF performance in curved hydrophobic microchannels featuring rectangular cross-sections.

Numerical Simulation of Droplet Generation in Coaxial Microchannels

In this study,numerical simulations of the pinching-off phenomena displayed by the dispersed phase in a continuous phase have been conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics(level-set method).Four flow patterns,namely“drop flow”,“jet flow”,“squeeze flow”,and“co-flow”,have been obtained for different flow velocity ratios,channel diameter ratios,density ratios,viscosity ratios,and surface tension.The flow pattern map of two-phase flow in coaxial microchannels has been obtained accordingly,and the associated droplet generation process has been critically discussed considering the related frequency,diameter,and pinch-off length.In particular,it is shown that the larger the flow velocity ratio,the smaller the diameter of generated droplets and the shorter the pinch-off length.The pinch-off length of a droplet is influenced by the channel diameter ratio and density ratio.The changes in viscosity ratio have a negligible influence on the droplet generation pinching frequency.With an increase in surface tension,the frequency of generation and pinch-off length of droplets decrease,but for small surface tension the generation diameter of droplet increases.

Gas microchannel plate-pixel detector for X-ray polarimetry

POLAR-2 is a gamma-ray burst(GRB)polarimeter that is designed to study the polarization in GRB radiation emissions,aiming to improve our knowledge of related mechanisms.POLAR-2 is expected to utilize an on-board polarimeter that is sensitive to soft X-rays(2-10 keV),called low-energy polarization detector.We have developed a new soft X-ray polari-zation detector prototype based on gas microchannel plates(GMCPs)and pixel chips(Topmetal).The GMCPs have bulk resistance,which prevents charging-up effects and ensures gain stability during operation.The detector is composed of low outgassing materials and is gas-sealed using a laser welding technique,ensuring long-term stability.A modulation factor of 41.28%±0.64% is obtained for a 4.5 keV polarized X-ray beam.A residual modulation of 1.96%±0.58% at 5.9 keV is observed for the entire sensitive area.

Applying the Shearlet-Based Complexity Measure for Analyzing Mass Transfer in Continuous-Flow Microchannels

Continuous-flow microchannels are widely employed for synthesizing various materials,including nanoparticles,polymers,and metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),to name a few.Microsystem technology allows precise control over reaction parameters,resulting in purer,more uniform,and structurally stable products due to more effective mass transfer manipulation.However,continuous-flow synthesis processes may be accompanied by the emergence of spatial convective structures initiating convective flows.On the one hand,convection can accelerate reactions by intensifying mass transfer.On the other hand,it may lead to non-uniformity in the final product or defects,especially in MOF microcrystal synthesis.The ability to distinguish regions of convective and diffusive mass transfer may be the key to performing higher-quality reactions and obtaining purer products.In this study,we investigate,for the first time,the possibility of using the information complexity measure as a criterion for assessing the intensity of mass transfer in microchannels,considering both spatial and temporal non-uniformities of liquid’s distributions resulting from convection formation.We calculate the complexity using shearlet transform based on a local approach.In contrast to existing methods for calculating complexity,the shearlet transform based approach provides a more detailed representation of local heterogeneities.Our analysis involves experimental images illustrating the mixing process of two non-reactive liquids in a Y-type continuous-flow microchannel under conditions of double-diffusive convection formation.The obtained complexity fields characterize the mixing process and structure formation,revealing variations in mass transfer intensity along the microchannel.We compare the results with cases of liquid mixing via a pure diffusive mechanism.Upon analysis,it was revealed that the complexity measure exhibits sensitivity to variations in the type of mass transfer,establishing its feasibility as an indirect criterion for assessing mass transfer intensity.The method presented can extend beyond flow analysis,finding application in the controlling of microstructures of various materials(porosity,for instance)or surface defects in metals,optical systems and other materials that hold significant relevance in materials science and engineering.

A comprehensive review on microchannel heat sinks for electronics cooling

The heat generation of electronic devices is increasing dramatically,which causes a serious bottleneck in the thermal management of electronics,and overheating will result in performance deterioration and even device damage.With the development of micro-machining technologies,the microchannel heat sink(MCHS)has become one of the best ways to remove the considerable amount of heat generated by high-power electronics.It has the advantages of large specific surface area,small size,coolant saving and high heat transfer coefficient.This paper comprehensively takes an overview of the research progress in MCHSs and generalizes the hotspots and bottlenecks of this area.The heat transfer mechanisms and performances of different channel structures,coolants,channel materials and some other influencing factors are reviewed.Additionally,this paper classifies the heat transfer enhancement technology and reviews the related studies on both the single-phase and phase-change flow and heat transfer.The comprehensive review is expected to provide a theoretical reference and technical guidance for further research and application of MCHSs in the future.

Effect of the Geometrical Parameter of OpenMicrochannel on Pool Boiling Enhancement

High heat dissipation is required for miniaturization and increasing the power of electronic systems.Pool boiling is a promising option for achieving efficient heat dissipation at low wall superheat without the need for moving parts.Many studies have focused on improving heat transfer efficiency during boiling by modifying the surface of the heating element.This paper presents an experimental investigation on improving pool boiling heat transfer using an open microchannel.The primary goal of this work is to investigate the impact of the channel geometry characteristics on boiling heat transfer.Initially,rectangular microchannels were prepared on a circular copper test piece with a diameter of 20 mm.Then,the boiling characteristics of these microchannels were compared with those of a smooth surface under saturated conditions using deionized water.In this investigation,a wire-cutting electrical discharge machine(EDM)machine was used to produce parallel microchannels with channel widths of 0.2,0.4,and 0.8 mm.The fin thicknesses were 0.2,0.4,and 0.6 mm,while the channel depth remained constant at 0.4 mm.The results manifested that the surface featuring narrower fins and broader channels achieved superior performance.The heat transfer coefficient(HTC)was enhanced by a maximum of 248%,and the critical heat flux(CHF)was enhanced by a maximum of 101%compared to a plain surface.Eventually,the obtained results were compared with previous research and elucidated a good agreement.

Growth behavior of CVD diamond in microchannels of Cu template

Deposition of diamond inside the trenches or microchannels by chemical vapor deposition （CVD） is limited by the diffusion efficiency of important radical species for diamond growth （H, CH3） and the pore depth of the substrate template. By ultrasonic seeding with nanodiamond suspension, three-dimensional （3D） penetration structure diamond was successfully deposited in cylindrical microchannels of Cu template by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition. Micro-Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to characterize diamond film and the effects of microchannel depth on the morphology, grain size and growth rate of diamond film were comprehensively investigated. The results show that diamond quality and growth rate sharply decrease with the increase of the depth of cylindrical microchannel. Individual diamond grain develops gradually from faceted crystals into micrometer cluster, and finally to ballas-type nanocrystalline one. In order to modify the rapid decrease of diamond quality and growth rate, a new hot filament apparatus with a forced gas flow through Cu microchannels was designed. Furthermore, the growth of diamond film by new apparatus was compared with that without a forced gas flow, and the enhancement mechanism was discussed.

AIN Monolithic Microchannel Cooled Heatsink for High Power Laser Diode Array

A novel AIN monolithic microchannel cooled heatsink for high power laser diode array is introduced.The high power stack laser diode array with an AIN monolithic microchannel heatsink is fabricated and tested.The thermal impedance of a 10 stack laser diode array is 0 121℃/W.The pitch between two adjacent bars is 1 17mm.The power level of 611W is achieved under the 20% duty factor condition at an emission wavelength around 808nm.

Liquid–liquid two-phase mass transfer characteristics in a rotating helical microchannel

In this work,the mass transfer characteristics of two immiscible fluids were investigated in a rotating helical microchannel with hydraulic diameter of 932μm.Aqueous phosphoric acid solution and 80%tri-n-butyl phosphate(TBP)in kerosene were selected for the investigation of mass transfer performance in quartz glass/high density polyethylene(HDPE)microchannel.High dispersion between the two immiscible fluids can be obtained in the microchannel due to the intensifying action of centrifugal force,and the majority of the droplets with average diameter of 20–100μm were produced in the microchannel.The flow rate and rotation speed were found to have great effects on the extraction efficiency and average residence time.The empirical correlation of average residence time based on experimental data was developed by theoretical analysis and data fitting method,and a mathematical model of the mass transfer coefficient in dispersed phase was proposed.

Laminar flow of micropolar fluid in rectangular microchannels

Compared with the classic flow on macroscale, flows in microchannels have some new phenomena such as the friction increase and the flow rate reduction. Papautsky and co-workers explained these phenomena by using a micropolar fluid model where the effects of micro-rotation of fluid molecules were taken into account. But both the curl of velocity vector and the curl of micro-rotation gyration vector were given incorrectly in the Cartesian coordinates and then the micro-rotation gyration vector had only one component in the z-direction. Besides, the gradient term of the divergence of micro-rotation gyration vector was missed improperly in the angular moment equation. In this paper, the governing equations for laminar flows of micropolar fluid in rectangular microchannels are reconstructed. The numerical results of velocity profiles and micro-rotation gyrations are obtained by a procedure based on the Chebyshev collocation method. The micropolar effects on velocity and micro-rotation gyration are discussed in detail.

Flow behavior in microchannel made of different materials with wall slip velocity and electro-viscous effects

In a microfluidic system, flow slip velocity on a solid wall can be the same order of magnitude as the average velocity in a microchannel. The flow-electricity interaction in a complex microfluidic system subjected to joint action of wall slip and electro-viscous effect is an important topic. This paper presents an analytic solution of pressuredriven liquid flow velocity and flow-induced electric field in a two-dimensional microchannel made of different materials with wall slip and electro-viscous effects. The Poisson- Boltzmann equation and the Navier-Stokes equation are solved for the analytic solutions. The analytic solutions agree well with the numerical solutions. It was found that the wall slip amplifies the fow-induced electric field and enhances the electro-viscous effect on flow. Thus the electro-viscous effect can be significant in a relatively wide microchannel with relatively large kh, the ratio of channel width to thickness of electric double layer, in comparison with the channel without wall slip.

Machine Vision Based Measurement of Dynamic Contact Angles in Microchannel Flows

When characterizing flows in miniaturized channels, the determination of the dynamic contact angle is important. By measuring the dynamic contact angle, the flow properties of the flowing liquid and the effect of material properties on the flow can be characterized. A machine vision based system to measure the contact angle of front or rear menisci of a moving liquid plug is described in this article. In this research, transparent flow channels fabricated on thermoplastic polymer and sealed with an adhesive tape are used. The transparency of the channels enables image based monitoring and measurement of flow variables, including the dynamic contact angle. It is shown that the dynamic angle can be measured from a liquid flow in a channel using the image based measurement system. An image processing algorithm has been developed in a MATLAB environment. Images are taken using a CCD camera and the channels are illuminated using a custom made ring light. Two fitting methods, a circle and two parabolas, are experimented and the results are compared in the measurement of the dynamic contact angles.

CFD and experimental investigations on the micromixing performance of single countercurrent-flow microchannel reactor

Microchannel reactors are widely used in different fields due to their intensive micromixing and, thus, high masstransfer efficiency. In this work, a single countercurrent-flow microchannel reactor(S-CFMCR) at the size of ~1 mm was developed by steel micro-capillary and laser drilling technology. Utilizing the Villermaux/Dushman parallel competing reaction, numerical and experimental studies were carried out to investigate the micromixing performance(expressed as the segregation index XS) of liquids inside S-CFMCR at the low flow velocity regime.The effects of various operating conditions and design parameters of S-CFMCR, e.g., inlet Reynolds number(Re),volumetric flow ratio(R), inlet diameter(d) and outlet length(L), on the quality of micromixing were studied qualitatively. It was found that the micromixing efficiency was enhanced with increasing Re, but weakened with the increase of R. Moreover, d and L also have a significant influence on micromixing. CFD results were in good agreement with experimental data. In addition, the visualization of velocity magnitude, turbulent kinetic energy and concentration distributions of various ions inside S-CFMCR was illustrated as well. Based on the incorporation model, the estimated minimum micromixing time tmof S-CFMCR is ~2 × 10-4s.

Gas–liquid two-phase flow in serpentine microchannel with different wall wettability

Gas–liquid flow in serpentine microchannel with different surface properties exhibits drastically different flow behavior. With water and air as working fluids, the method of numerical simulation was adopted in this paper based on CLSVOF(coupled level set and volume of fluid method) multiphase model. After verifying the reasonability of the model through experiment, by changing wall properties and Re number(Re<1500), the influences of contact angle and surface roughness on flow regime and Po number were discussed. Moreover, the difference of pressure drop between curve and straight microchannel was also calculated. Beyond that, the combined effect of curve channel and wall properties on flow resistance was analyzed. This paper finds that wall properties have great influence on gas–liquid flow in microchannels not only on flow regime but also flow characteristics. Meanwhile, the pressure drop in curve microchannels is larger than straight. It is more beneficial for fluid flowing when the straight part of microchannel is hydrophilic smooth wall and curve part is hydrophobic with large roughness.

Development of high-aspect-ratio microchannel heat exchanger based on multi-tool milling process

A high-aspect-ratio microchannel heat exchanger based on multi-tool milling process was developed. Several slotting cutters were stacked together for simultaneously machining several high-aspect-ratio microchannels with manifold structures. On the basis of multi-tool milling process, the structural design of the manifold side height, microchannel length, width, number, and interval were analyzed. The heat transfer performances of high-aspect-ratio microchannel heat exchangers with two different manifolds were investigated by experiments, and the influencing factors were analyzed. The results indicate that the magnitude of heat transfer area per unit volume dominates the heat transfer performances of plate-type micro heat exchanger, while the velocity distribution between microchannels has little effects on the heat transfer performances.

Measurement and Correlation of Pressure Drop for Gas-Liquid Two-phase Flow in Rectangular Microchannels

The pressure drop of gas-liquid two-phase flow in microchannel is of fundamental importance in heat and mass transfer processes. In this work,the pressure drop of gas-liquid two-phase flow in horizontal rectangular cross-section microchannels was measured by a pressure differential transducer system. Water,ethanol and n-propanol were used as liquid phase to study the effects of capillary number on pressure drop;air was used as the gas phase. Four microchannels with various dimensions of 100 μm× 200 μm,100 μm× 400 μm,100 μm× 800 μm and 100 μm× 2000 μm(depth × width) were used for determining the influence of configuration on the pressure drop. Experimental results showed that in micro-scale,the capillary number also affected the pressure drop remarkably,and in spite of only one-fold difference in aspect ratio,the variation of pressure drop reached up to near three times under the same experimental conditions. Taking the effects of aspect ratio and surface tension into account,a modi-fied correlation for Chisholm parameter C in the Chisholm model was proposed for predicting the frictional multi-plier,and the predicted values by the proposed correlation showed a satisfactory agreement with experimental data.

Multi-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann simulation of inertial secondary flow in a curved microchannel

The inertial secondary flow is particularly important tbr hydrodynamic lbcusing and particle manipulation m biomed- ical research. In this paper, the development of the inertial secondary flow structure in a curved microchannel was investi- gated by the multi relaxation time lattice Boltzmann equation model with a force term. The numerical results indicate that the viscous and inertial competition dominates the development of secondary flow structure development. The Reynolds number, Dean number, and the cross section aspect ratio influence significantly on the development of the secondary vor- texes. Both the intensity of secondary flow and the distance between the normalized vortex centers are functions of Dean numbers but independent of channel curvature radius. In addition, the competition mechanism between the viscous and inertial effects were discussed by performing the particle focusing experiments. The present investigation provides an improved understanding of the development of inertial secondary flows in curved microchannels.