Passive In-Plane Micromixer For Slow Diffusing Liquids

The problem of passive micromixing has been analyzed. Laminar flow in microchannels implies that transport processes including mass transfer are dominated by diffusion; inertial effects and have little to no effect on mixing in small scale conduits. Study of the diffusion theory shows that the velocity at the interface of fluids intended to be mixed is a determining factor. Higher velocity at the diffusion interface increases the mass flux across. By means of unique sidewall design, the laminar velocity profile can be passively altered such that the maximum of the profile coincides with the transversely progressing diffusion fronts repeatedly through the mixing channel. Based on the idea of increasing diffusion interfacial velocity, a passive mixing channel has been designed using numerical simulation tools, fabricated and characterized. Copyright © 2010 by ASME