Microfluidic fuel cells integrating slanted groove micro-mixers to terminate growth of depletion boundary layer thickness

Because of potential high energy densities,microfluidic fuel cells can serve as micro-scale power sources.Because microfluidic fuel cells typically operate in the co-laminar flow regime to enable a membrane-less design,they generally suffer from severe mass transfer limitations with respect to diffusion transport.To address this issue,a novel channel design that integrates slanted groove micro-mixers on the side walls of the channel is proposed.Numerical modeling on the design of groove micro-mixers and grooveless design demonstrates a mass transfer enhancement that has a 115%higher limiting current density and well-controlled convective mixing between the oxidant and the fuel streams with the use of slanted groove micro-mixers.Moreover,the growth of the thickness of the depletion boundary layer is found to be terminated within approximately 2 mm from the channel entrance,which is distinct from the constantly growing pattern in the grooveless design.In addition,a simplified mass transfer model capable of modeling the mass transfer prFocess with the presence of the transverse secondary flow is developed.Further,a dimensionless correlation is derived to analyze the effects of the design parameters on the limiting current density.The present theoretical study paves the way towards an optimal design of a microfluidic fuel cell integrating groove micro-mixers.

NUMERICAL EVALUATION OF TWO-FLUID MIXING IN A SWIRL MICRO-MIXER

A collaborative investigation of two-fluid mixing in a swirl micro-mixer was carried out by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Tokyo Denki University. Pure water and a mixture of glycerol and water were separately injected into branch channels and they were subsequently mixed in the central chamber. The two-fluid flow pattern was numerically modeled, in which the dependence of the mixture viscosity and density on the mass fraction of glycerol in the mixing fluid was carefully taken into consideration. The mixing performance of the two fluids was evaluated by varying the Reynolds numbers and the mass fractions of glycerol in water. The mixing process was extensively analyzed using streamline maps and contour plotting distributions of pressure and glycerol concentration. The numerical results show that the acceptable uniformity of mixing at Re = 0.1 is primarily attributed to the time-consuming molecular diffusion, whereas the cost-effective mixing at Re 〉 500 was obtained because of the generation of the swirling flow. The increasing mass fraction of glycerol in water was found to attenuate the mixing performance. The preliminary microscopic visualization of the two-fluid mixing at Re=1300 demonstrated the consistence with the numerical results.

Micro-mixing in chemical reactors:A perspective

Micro-mixing is an important mechanism, which works simultaneously with macro-mixing in chemical reactors in process industries, for achieving the best selectivity with respect to desired products. In about a half century, a huge amount of data and knowledge has been accumulated from theoretical and experimental studies on micromixing. Nevertheless, those results are mostly composites of simplified theoretical and empirical models, and the true nature of interactions of flow inhomogeneity and micro-mixing with chemical reaction has not been fully unveiled. This article reviews the progress in micro-mixing study in chemical reactors to date. A few important topics related to the nature, experimental evaluation, and numerical simulation of micro-mixing are addressed.Some suggestions are given hopefully to motivate more chemical engineers to devote their efforts to better understanding of micro-mixing in chemical reactors.

Numerical simulation of micro-mixing in gas–liquid and solid–liquid stirred tanks with the coupled CFD-E-model

The coupled CFD-E-model for multiphase micro-mixing was developed,and used to predict the micro-mixing effects on the parallel competing chemical reactions in semi-batch gas–liquid and solid–liquid stirred tanks.Based on the multiphase macro-flow field,the key parameters of the micro-mixing E-model were obtained with solving the Reynolds-averaged transport equations of mixture fraction and its variance at low computational costs.Compared with experimental data,the multiphase numerical method shows the satisfactory predicting ability.For the gas–liquid system,the segregated reaction zone is mainly near the feed point,and shrinks to the exit of feed-pipe when the feed position is closer to the impeller.Besides,surface feed requires more time to completely exhaust the added H+solution than that of impeller region feed at the same operating condition.For the solid–liquid system,when the solid suspension cloud is formed at high solid holdups,the flow velocity in the clear liquid layer above the cloud is notably reduced and the reactions proceed slowly in this almost stagnant zone.Therefore,the segregation index in this case is larger than that in the dilute solid–liquid system.

错位碰撞型微混合器混合性能的模拟分析与优化设计

微混合器作为微流控设备的重要组成部分,广泛应用于生化领域,由于在微通道下流体流动为层流,混合较差,对于快速反应,混合是影响效率的主要因素。本文对影响混合效率的3种微混合器结构进行了数值模拟,通过变化微混合器的通道宽高比、发散处最大宽度、碰撞处错位高度3个结构参数,模拟研究其在层流下的混合性能。结果表明,流体碰撞处错位高度对混合性能影响最明显。对模拟结果最佳的微混合器(MST)进一步优化其结构得到新的微混合器(MTT),将MTT与MST及普通T型微混合器(MT)进行比较。MTT微混合器出口处的混合指数达到81%,而普通T型微混合器在相同的条件下只有5.3%。通过模拟分析混合过程,有效改善了错位碰撞型微混合器的结构,有利于提高流体混合效率,提高反应速度。

被动式微混合器内液-液两相流的研究进展

微通道内的液-液两相流反应混合与传质效率高,反应速度快,同时可以有效控制化学反应过程,降低安全隐患。综述了被动式微混合器内液-液两相流的最新研究进展,两相流的混合与传质主要受流体物性、流速、微通道尺寸和几何特征的影响,在微通道内加入障碍物和凹槽,流体分流或引入二次流,可以有效改善液-液两相流的混合与传质。

Computational and experimental investigations of a microfluidic mixer for efficient iodine extraction using carbon tetrachloride enhanced with gas bubbles

Numerous studies have been conducted on microfluidic mixers in various microanalysis systems, which elucidated the manipulation and control of small fluid volumes within microfluidic chips. These studies have demonstrated the ability to control fluids and samples precisely at the microscale. Microfluidic mixers provide high sensitivity for biochemical analysis due to their small volumes and high surface-to-volume ratios. A promising approach in drug delivery is the rapid microfluidic mixer-based extraction of elemental iodine at the micro level, demonstrating the versatility and the potential to enhance diagnostic imaging and accuracy in targeted drug delivery. Micro-mixing inside microfluidic chips plays a key role in biochemical analysis. The experimental study describes a microfluidic mixer for extraction of elemental iodine using carbon tetrachloride with a gas bubble mixing process. Gas bubbles are generated inside the microcavity to create turbulence and micro-vortices resulting in uniform mixing of samples. The bubble mixing of biochemical samples is analyzed at various pressure levels to validate the simulated results in computational fluid dynamics(CFD). The experimental setup includes a high-resolution camera and an air pump to observe the mixing process and volume at different pressure levels with time. The bubble formation is controlled by adjusting the inert gas flow inside the microfluidic chip. Microfluidic chip-based gas bubble mixing effects have been elaborated at various supplied pressures.

液相SO_(3)磺化甲苯的连续过程工艺研究

甲苯磺化反应是有机合成中重要的反应,日益受到人们的关注,为了进一步提高对甲苯磺酸在产品中的质量分数,在T型微结构混合器中SO_(3)-二氯乙烷溶液为磺化剂磺化甲苯工艺参数进行系统的研究分析,结果表明,在内径500μm的T型微混合器、管径d为1 mm、反应温度为15℃、SO_(3)质量分数为4%、控制甲苯转化率在40%、停留时间为15 s以及在大流速9 mL/min的反应条件下得到的对位甲苯磺酸质量分数能达到94.9%左右。为了进一步补充后处理过程工艺,在工艺中引入水流股一相,使得水从溶剂中萃取得到高纯度目标产物4-甲苯磺酸。不溶于水相的反应副产物砜实现分离过程,且重复循环达到抑制作用,对位甲苯磺酸质量分数最高为96.1%。达到反应与后处理相结合的目的,解决其后续过程的繁琐性问题。

真空果汁搅拌机控制器设计

本文从真空果汁搅拌器的客户需求出发,设计了单片机为控制器核心,结合显示电路、用户按键电路、电机驱动电路设计等,通过软件设计实现具有人机交互、一键开关、高中低档搅拌、定时、暂停等功能的真空果汁搅拌机控制器,经测试达到客户的需求。

T形微混合器内的混合特性

以VillermauxDushman快速平行竞争反应为模型体系,研究了宽600μm、深300μm的T形微通道内的微观混合特性,着重考察了不同进出口结构、微通道长度、体积流量比等对微通道内流体微观混合效果的影响.实验结果表明:P啨clet数在7.0×106～2.0×108之间,无返混;体积流量比愈小,离集指数Xs愈小,微观混合效果愈好.不同进出口结构尺寸、体积流量比对微观混合的影响取决于Reyonlds数的大小,Re<Rec时,影响较大,且随Re增加,Xs减小,微观混合效果愈好;Re>Rec时,Xs趋于定值,约为2.7×10-4,接近理想微观混合效果.

微混合器的研究现状

微混合器作为实现流体混合的关键部件,成为微流控系统和全微分析系统领域的研究热点。一般将微混合器分为主动微混合器和被动微混合器,根据此分类方法,介绍了两类微混合器的混合机理,详细地阐述了目前国内外较为典型的几种微混合器的原理、结构、混合性能、材料及应用等,并总结了两类微混合器各自的优缺点。综合国内外研究现状,分析了目前微混合器研究过程中所存在的问题和技术难点,指出未来微混合器的主要发展方向为微观流体力学理论基础的修正和补充、微混合器的结构设计以及微混合器制作和装配工艺的研究。

T形微通道中互不相溶两相流数值模拟

采用摄动有限体积(PFV)算法和水平集(level set)技术对T形微通道内互不相溶两相流动进行了数值模拟研究。考察了两相界面张力和微通道壁面润湿性对流动的影响,精确地捕捉到了油水两相流动的界面。对一些典型的T形微通道油水两相流动进行了数值计算,模拟结果和实验结果吻合较好。分析总结出了微通道内两相流动过程中的一些基本规律,为微通道内的液液两相流动实验设计和工业应用提供了新的数值预测手段。

多级“Y”型流管无阀压电泵的原理与试验验证

针对目前微流体混合器多需要外接动力源,且多数微混合器只能进行液体混合而不能输送液体的问题,提出将无阀压电泵引入微混合器领域,并研制了一种集混合与输送于一体的多级"Y"型流管无阀压电泵。首先,提出了多级"Y"型流管,进而设计了多级"Y"型流管无阀压电泵,并分析其工作原理;然后,对该无阀压电泵的流管流阻特性及泵流量进行理论分析;同时,利用有限元软件对多级"Y"型流管无阀压电泵进行了流场模拟,结果表明该压电泵具有单向传输作用。最后,制作了多级"Y"型流管无阀压电泵样机,并进行了泵流量与背压试验。试验结果显示:驱动电压峰峰值为100V,频率为16Hz时,流量达到最大,为16.2ml/min;驱动电压峰峰值为100V,频率为14Hz时,输出背压最大,约为64mm水柱。得到的试验数据证明了多级"Y"型流管无阀压电泵的有效性。

内置阻块型微混合器内流体混合强化的数值模拟

采用计算流体力学方法对3种内置阻块波浪形微混合器进行模拟研究,考察内置阻块尺寸、排列方式及阻块数量对流体混合的强化效果。由速度场和物质输运模型结合进行流体的混合模拟,得到流体混合快照图和流体混合速率,进一步由流体平均径向线拉伸和李雅普洛夫指数定量表征混沌混合程度。结果表明:混合器壁面波浪状V形凹槽的设计和微通道内长方块的设置产生周期性的流场,从而引发混沌流。将阻块倾斜设置或增加微通道内阻块的数量,混沌流作用增强,从而促进流体混合。最后考察了不同贝克来数Pe下流体的混合性能,发现微通道混合量纲一长度与lnPe之间呈线性关系。

Y型微混合器结构与工作参数在两相脉动混合中的优化

为提高微尺度下不同反应物的混合效率,针对Y型脉动微混合器结构与工作参数对其混合性能的影响展开优化研究。采用仿真分析对微混合器流道截面尺寸、入口夹角、入口流量及脉动频率进行了优化分析,优选出最佳结构和工作参数,并以此制作试验用系统样机;利用化学反应探针法,通过检测可控合成后的金纳米粒子大小及分布情况,综合评估其混合性能。试验结果表明:Y型脉动微混合器的截面尺寸、流道夹角在入口流量及工作频率一定的条件下存在一个最优值,入口流量及工作频率是一对相互影响的重要工作参数,一定的流量对应一个最佳混合频率。

流体静态混合器的应用和新发展

对航空航天领域中常用的3种流体静态混合器的工作原理、性能及优缺点进行了概述,在论述静态混合器的广泛应用和发展概况的基础上,简要介绍了层板混合器、微混合器2种新型的静态混合器。

基于拉格朗日跟踪法的微混合器内混沌混合特性

为了分析三维交叉导流式(Staggered oriented ridges,SOR)微混合器内混沌混合特性,在计算流体力学的基础上,采用拉格朗日跟踪技术数值模拟SOR混合器中流道截面上流体物质线和物质面的变形、拉伸情况,并通过平均对数线拉伸计算定量地评价SOR混合器的混合效果。研究结果表明:SOR微混合流道内可诱发混沌对流,并在其作用下可增加流体粒子的接触面积,提高混合效率。在小雷诺数时,线拉伸随雷诺数增大变化不大,但在雷诺数较大时,线拉伸随雷诺数增大而增大。

磁性微混合器混合性能的实验研究

自装配磁性微混合器是利用聚合的磁流体在旋转磁场作用下的运动,来破坏流体的层流状态,产生混沌对流而加强流体间的混合。利用Micro-PIV对不同磁场强度、旋转频率和流量下的混合效率进行了实验研究,结果表明:在保证外磁场能带动磁流体聚合链运动的前提下,磁场强度对混合效率的影响不大;而外磁场的旋转频率对混合效果有较大的影响,当旋转频率较低时混合效率随旋转频率升高而提高,而当旋转频率超过临界频率时,由于粘性拖曳力克服了磁场力,磁性颗粒的聚合被破坏,使混合效率反而下降。为磁性微混合器的设计提供基础。

压电无阀微混合器的数值模拟

设计了一种压电无阀微混合器,对微混合器的结构和工作原理进行了说明和分析,并对其进行了数值模拟.利用ANSYS软件对微混合器的驱动部件圆形复合压电振子进行了瞬态动力学分析,研究了压电振子中心平面上各点在正弦交变电压驱动下的振动位移随各点半径、驱动电压的变化规律,发现各点位移呈正弦变化规律,各点振幅随半径的增大而减小,随驱动电压的增大而增大.根据压电振子各点位移变化规律拟合得到了压电振子运动位移方程,并根据位移方程编写了UDF程序,经编译后将UDF程序调入到Fluent软件中,以此作为设定压电振子的运动边界条件,采用动网格模型对微混合器进行了动态数值模拟,得到了压电无阀微混合器的流量及微混合器不同时刻的微混合器腔内的混合情况.结果表明:设计的压电无阀微混合器不仅能实现流体泵送,也可以在较短的时间内实现流体间的均匀混合.

纸质被动式农药微混合器混合特性试验

为探索纸质被动式农药微混合器的主要参数对农药混合效果的影响规律和增强农药混合的机理,选取Y型、Z型和方波型3种结构的纸质被动式农药微混合器,试验研究了每种微混合器不同参数条件对混合性能的影响,选出最优参数,再将最优参数下的3种微混合器的混合性能进行对比。试验结果表明,Y型微混合器的最优参数为:入口速度0.010 m L/min、入口角30°,Z型微混合器的最优参数为:入口速度0.010 m L/min、峰间距3 mm、转角30°,方波型微混合器的最优参数为:入口速度0.010 m L/min、波高2 mm、波宽5 mm;在各自的最优参数条件下,Y型微混合器出口处混合强度为0.622 7,Z型微混合器出口处混合强度为0.690 2,方波型微混合器出口处混合强度为0.732 6,方波型微混合器混合性能最好;纸质被动式农药微混合器通道内部存在纸纤维,可以提供流体流动的动力,也可以加剧分子间的扩散作用,同时也在一定程度上限制了对流作用。