Micromixers simulation

This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.A method for simulating fluid flows in microchannels is proposed. The method is tested using available experimental data obtained in micro-PIV studies of microchannel flows. Flow regimes in Y- and Ttype micromixers are studied. Passive and active mixers are considered. The dependence of the mixing efficiency on the Peclet number is examined, and the possibility of using hydrophobic and ultrahydrophobic coatings is analyzed. An active mixing method using a T-mixer with a harmonically varying flow rate at one of the inlet channels is studied. The dependence of the mixing efficiency on the frequency and amplitude of flow rate variation is determined.This work was supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Researches (grant No. 07-08-00164) and by the grant of the President of the Russian Federation for Support of Leading Scientific Schools (project no. NSh-454.2008.1)