Flow equation and similarity criterion during centrifugal casting in micro-channel

Liquid metal filling flow process in the microscale during the centrifugal casting process was studied by means of similar physical simulation. The research was focused on derived similarity criterion. Based on the traditional flow equations, the flow equation and the Bernoulli＇s equation for liquid metal flows in micro-scale space were derived, which provides a mathematical model for numerical simulation of micro-scale flow. In the meanwhile, according to the micro-flow equation and the similarity theory, the similarity criterion for the physical simulation of the mold filling behaviors was presented under centrifugal force field, so as to achieve the visual observation and quantitative analysis of micro-flow process.

Solid-phase sintering process and forced convective heat transfer performance of porous-structured micro-channels

A solid-phase sintering process for the low-cost fabrication of composite micro-channels was developed. Three kinds of composite micro-channels with metallic porous structures were designed. The sintering process was studied and optimized to obtain porous-structured micro-channels with high porosity. The flow resistance and heat transfer performance in the composite micro-channels were investigated. The composite micro-channels show acceptable flow resistance, significant enhancement of heat transfer and dramatic improvement of flow boiling stability, which indicates a promising prospect for the application in forced convective heat transfer.

3003Al-H14薄壁微小通道扁管波形冲压成形尺寸对截面变形的作用规律

薄壁微小通道波形扁管是建设新能源汽车锂电池组恒温系统的绝佳材料,成形尺寸是影响其冲压成形截面变形的关键因素。建立了实验验证的3003Al-H14微小通道薄壁扁管的波形冲压-回弹有限元模型。基于所建模型,研究了截面高度、管坯壁厚、内外面相对弯曲半径缩放系数等成形尺寸,对截面变形率和平均截面变形率的作用规律。研究发现:①横截面上边缘孔的截面变形率通常较大,其余孔的截面变形率相对较小且大小一致;纵截面上孔的截面变形率呈现波峰波谷高、中间段低的分布特点。②扁管的截面变形率随着截面高度增大而增大,当截面高度超过4 mm时,扁管内的筋显著弯折,横截面塌陷严重。③扁管的平均截面变形率随着壁厚增大呈指数函数下降;当壁厚等于0.1 mm时,所有截面都畸变严重,而当壁厚超过0.3 mm时,最大截面畸变率下降至24.71%。④内外面相对弯曲半径的缩放系数越大,则内外面的实际弯曲程度越小,平均截面变形率也越小。研究成果对薄壁微小通道波形扁管的精确成形具有科学意义和工程价值。

Similar physical simulation of microflow in micro-channel by centrifugal casting process

By means of similar physical simulation, liquid metal filling flow pattern in the microscale during the centrifugal casting process was studied. It was found that, in microscale, the flow channel with the maximum cross-sectional area was filled first, and the micro flow channels with 0.1 mm in diameter were filled when the rotational speed was increased to 964 r/min. The total fluid energy remained constant during the mould filling, and the changes of cross-sectional area only occurred in the microflow channels with 0.3 mm in diameter. Filling velocity increased with processing time, and a peak value was achieved rapidly, followed by a gentle increase as the process proceeded further. The time required to achieve the peak filling rate decreased dramatically with increase of rotational speed.

Micromixing Efficiency of Viscous Media in Micro-channel Reactor

Micromixing efficiency of viscous media in Y-type micro-channel reactor was studied by using iodide-iodate test reaction as working system.Experiments were carried out in water-glycerin mixtures with 7 different viscosities.The experimental results showed that segregation index of the micro-channel reactor increases with the decrease of volumetric flow rate and the increase of solution viscosity.Based on the incorporation model,the micromixing time tm of the micro-channel reactor was estimated in the range of 10-4-10-3s at different viscosities,which indicated that the micro-channel reactor possesses a much better micromixing performance compared to the stirred tank(tm=0.02-0.2s).

Improved catalytic performance of Ni catalysts for steam methane reforming in a micro-channel reactor

Milliseconds process to produce hydrogen by steam methane reforming （SMR） reaction, based on Ni catalyst rather than noble catalyst such as Pd, Rh or Ru, in micro-channel reactors has been paid more and more attentions in recent years. This work aimed to further improve the catalytic performance of nickel-based catalyst by the introduction of additives, i.e., MgO and FeO, prepared by impregnation method on the micro-channels made of metal-ceramic complex substrate. The prepared catalysts were tested in the same micro-channel reactor by switching the catalyst plates. The results showed that among the tested catalysts Ni-Mg catalyst had the highest activity, especially under harsh conditions, i.e., at high space velocity and/or low reaction temperature. Moreover, the catalyst activity and selectivity were stable during the 12 h on stream test even when the ratio of steam to carbon （SIC） was as low as 1.0. The addition of MgO promoted the active Ni species to have a good dispersion on the substrate, leading to a better catalytic performance for SMR reaction.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF GASEOUS FLOW IN MICRO-CHANNELS

The algorithm of gaseous flow in bi-dimensional micro-channels is set up andthe corresponding program based on micro-flow theory is presented. Gaseous flow in micro-channels isnumerically analyzed and the pressure drop along the duct as well .as the velocity profile in themicro-channels is obtained. The numerical results agreed well with the experimental results in thereferences. Moreover, the effects of Kn, sigma_v and Re on the velocity profiles are analyzed. It isfound that for Kn>0.001, with increasing Kn number, the slip velocity on the wall boundaryincreases; the tangential momentum coefficient sigma_v affects the slip velocity greatly. The slipvelocity increases with decreasing a, In the slip flow regime and for low Re numbers, the slipvelocity is little influenced by the Re number.

RESEARCH ON DIFFUSION IN MICRO-CHANNEL FLOW DRIVEN BY ELECTROOSMOSIS

Numerical simulation using the finite differential method was carried out to analyze the diffusion of an impulse sample in the micro-channel driven by electroosmosis. The results show that the electrical field strength applied externally and the concentration of buffer solution play a significant role in the diffusion of sample, however, hydraulic diameter and aspect ratio of height to width of channel play a small role in it. Weakening the electrical field strength applied externally and the concentration of buffer solution properly can prevent the sample band from broadening effectively, and promote the efficiency of testing and separation as well as keep a faster speed of transport. The conclusions are helpful to the optimal design for micro-channel.

Flow characteristics of supersonic gas passing through a circular micro-channel under different inflow conditions

Gas flow in a micro-channel usually has a high Knudsen number. The predominant predictive tool for such a microflow is the direct simulation Monte Carlo(DSMC) method, which is used in this paper to investigate primary flow properties of supersonic gas in a circular micro-channel for different inflow conditions, such as free stream at different altitudes, with different incoming Mach numbers, and with different angles of attack. Simulation results indicate that the altitude and free stream incoming Mach number have a significant effect on the whole micro-channel flow field, whereas the angle of attack mainly affects the entrance part of micro-channel flow field. The fundamental mechanism behind the simulation results is also presented. With the increase of altitude, thr free stream would be partly prevented from entering into micro-channel.Meanwhile, the gas flow in micro-channel is decelerated, and the increase in the angle of attack also decelerates the gas flow. In contrast, gas flow in micro-channel is accelerated as free stream incoming Mach number increases. A noteworthy finding is that the rarefaction effects can become very dominant when the free stream incoming Mach number is low. In other words, a free stream with a larger incoming velocity is able to reduce the influence of the rarefaction effects on gas flow in the micro-channel.

CFD simulation of homogeneous reaction characteristics of dehydration of fructose to HMF in micro-channel reactors

In this work the applicability of the micro-channel reactor technique to the production of promising platform chemical 5-hydroxymethyl furan(HMF) from fructose in aqueous solution is systemically investigated by performing CFD simulations.Influential factors including solvents,residence time distribution of reaction mixtures,heat transfer conditions and micro-channel configurations are evaluated in terms of the reaction performance indices,i.e.,conversion of fructose,HMF selectivity and yield.A scale-up method from a single channel to a multiple channel reactor is also proposed.It is demonstrated that:1) at the single channel scale,controlling residence times and temperature distribution of the reaction mixture within the channel is crucial for enhancing the reaction performance,while different channel configurations lead to marginal improvements;2) for the scaling-up of the reaction process,a reactor module containing 15 circular parallel channels could be used as module blocks,which can be stacked one by one to meet the required reactor performance and production capacity.The present results show that micro-reactors are quite suitable for HMF production.

Modelling two-layer nanofluid flow in a micro-channel with electro-osmotic effects by means of Buongiorno’s model

A fully developed steady immiscible flow of nanofluid in a two-layer microchannel is studied in the presence of electro-kinetic effects.Buongiorno’s model is employed for describing the behavior of nanofluids.Different from the previous studies on two-layer channel flow of a nanofluid,the present paper introduces the flux conservation conditions for the nanoparticle volume fraction field,which makes this work new and unique,and it is in coincidence with practical observations.The governing equations are reduced into a group of ordinary differential equations via appropriate similarity transformations.The highly accurate analytical approximations are obtained.Important physical quantities and total entropy generation are analyzed and discussed.A comparison is made to determine the significance of electrical double layer(EDL)effects in the presence of an external electric field.It is found that the Brownian diffusion,the thermophoresis diffusion,and the viscosity have significant effects on altering the flow behaviors.

Heat Transfer Performance and Structural Optimization of a Novel Micro-channel Heat Sink

With the advent of the 5G era,the design of electronic equipment is developing towards thinness,intelligence and multi-function,which requires higher cooling performance of the equipment.Micro-channel heat sink is promising for the heat dissipation of super-thin electronic equipment.In this study,thermal resistance theoretical model of the micro-channel heat sink was first established.Then,fabrication process of the micro-channel heat sink was introduced.Subsequently,heat transfer performance of the fabricated micro-channel heat sink was tested through the developed testing platform.Results show that the developed micro-channel heat sink has more superior heat dissipation performance over conventional metal solid heat sink and it is well suited for high power LEDs application.Moreover,the micro-channel structures in the heat sink were optimized by orthogonal test.Based on the orthogonal optimization,heat dissipation performance of the micro-channel radiator was further improved.

Flowing simulation of injection molded parts with micro-channel

In the micro-molding of component with a micro-sized channel, the ability for polymer melt to flowing into the micro-channel in a macro-sized part is a big challenge. The multidimensional flow behaviors are included in the injection molding the macro-component with a micro-channel. In this case, a simplified model is used to analyze the flow behaviors of the macro-sized part within a micro-channel. The flow behaviors in the macro-cavity are estimated by using the finite element and finite difference methods. The influence of the injection rate, micro-channel size, heat transfer coefficient, and mold temperature on the flowing distance is investigated based on the non-isothermal analytic method. The results show that an increase in the radius of the micro-channel and mold temperature can improve effectively the flowing distance in the micro-channel.

Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Jet-Impingement/Micro-Channel Heat Sink

With the progressive increase in the number of transistors that can be accommodated on a single integrated circuit,new strategies are needed to extract heat from these devices in an efficient way.In this regard methods based on the combination of the so-called“jet impingement”and“micro-channel”approaches seem extremely promising for possible improvement and future applications in electronics as well as the aerospace and biomedical fields.In this paper,a hybrid heat sink based on these two technologies is analysed in the frame of an integrated model.Dedicated CFD simulation of the coupled flow/temperature fields and orthogonal tests are performed in order to optimize the overall design.The influence of different sets of structural parameters on the cooling performance is examined.It is shown that an optimal scheme exists for which favourable performance can be obtained in terms of hot spot temperature decrease and thermal uniformity improvement.

A Review on Flow Boiling of the Fluid with Lower Boiling Point in Micro-Channels

With the advancement of micro machining technology,the high-heat-flux removal from miniature electronic devices and components has become an attractive topic.Flow boiling in micro-channels is an optimal form of heat transfer and has been widely employed in high-heat-flux cooling applications.This comprehensively-reviewed article focused on the available recent literatures of experimental investigation regarding the flow boiling heat transfer and unstable behaviors of the fluid with lower boiling point in micro-channels.The thermal-fluid characteristics and potential heat transfer mechanisms of low-boiling-point fluids flow boiling in different narrow passages were summarized and discussed.The literatures regarding the pressure drop and occurrence of the unstable phenomena existing in two-phase flow boiling process were also discussed.The emphasis was given to the heat transfer enhancement methods as well as instability elimination,and various methods such as modification of surface and channel flow geometries were considered.Some future researches in the field of micro-scale flow boiling were suggested.

FLOW CHARACTERISTIC AND HEAT TRANSFER FOR SINGLE PHASE GASEOUS IN SLIP REGIME OF MICROCHANNEL FLOW

Based on analyzing some simulation models of single phase gaseous flow in microchannels （0. 001〈 Kn〈0. 1 ）, a numerical simulation of N-S equations with the slip model is presented. In the simulation, the collocated grid and the SIMPLE scheme are used. Results show that the pressure in the inlet is changed with Knudsen number. The slip speed and the temperature creep are increased with the augment of Knudsen number. The drag force decreases and the resistance of the heat trensfer has a little increase.

离心辅助微模塑法制备Fe-Ni合金微流道

采用离心辅助微模塑方法,制备了Fe-Ni合金微流道。着重考察了分散剂含量和pH值对浆料分散性的影响,结果表明当分散剂含量为1.5wt%和pH=4时,Fe-Ni乙醇基浆料的分散性最好。用聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)复制带有微结构的原始硅模板,在PDMS弹性模上采用离心注模方法进行浆料的微成形。最终制备出微结构完整、表面无裂纹、致密的Fe-Ni合金微流道,其最大线性收缩率为12.7%,致密度为97.3%,说明离心辅助微模塑法是一种可行的微器件制备方法。

5A06铝合金微槽道薄板件等温振动辅助成形研究

目的研究成形速度、坯料晶粒尺寸以及振动加载,对5A06铝合金微槽道薄板件等温振动辅助成形效果的影响规律。方法改变坯料热处理参数、冲头运动模式等进行等温振动辅助成形实验,通过分析成形件梯形筋的充填率,研究了其成形效果。结果通过减小成形速度、降低晶粒尺寸、增加振动辅助加载,可以显著提高梯形筋的充填率,改善成形效果。结论等温振动辅助成形可以用于结构复杂、成形困难的微槽道薄板件的批量生产。合缝折弯,上模头压至最低点时工件开口接近42 mm,折弯回弹后开口尺寸在50~60 mm之间。

Scaling of the bubble/slug length of Taylor flow in a meandering microchannel

In order to reduce or avoid the fluctuations from interface breakup, a meandering microchannel with curved multi-bends(44 turns) is fabricated, and investigations of scaling bubble/slug length in Taylor flow in a rectangular meandering microchannel are systematically conducted. Based on considerable experimental data,quantitative analyses for the influences of two important characteristic times, liquid phase physical properties and aspect ratio are made on the prediction criteria for the bubble/slug length of Taylor flow in a meandering microchannel. A simple principle is suggested to predict the bubble formation period by using the information of Rayleigh time and capillary time for six gas–liquid systems with average deviation of 10.96%. Considering physical properties of the liquid phase and cross-section configuration of the rectangular mcirochannel,revised scaling laws for bubble length are established by introducing Ca, We, Re and W/h whether for the squeezing-driven or shearing-driven of bubble break. In addition, a simple principle in terms of Garstecki-type model and bubble formation period is set-up to predict slug lengths. A total of 107 sets of experimental data are correlated with the meandering microchannel and operating range: 0.001 b CaTPb 0.05, 0.06 b WeTPb 9.0,18 b ReTPb 460 using the bubble/slug length prediction equation from current work. The average deviation between the correlated data and the experimental data for bubble length and slug length is about 9.42% and9.95%, respectively.