Numerical Investigation of Flow Patterns and Plug Hydrodynamics in a 3D T-junction Microchannel

A three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation of a two-phase flow liquid/liquid is performed in a rectangular microchannel with a T-junction. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was used under ANSYS Fluent to capture the interface between the two phases. The dynamic mesh adaptation technique together w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microgravity science and technology 2023-02, Vol.35 (1), p.8, Article 8
Main Authors: Said, Mohammed, Nait Bouda, Noura, Harmand, Souad
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerospace Technology and Astronautics
Classical and Continuum Physics
Droplets
Engineering
Film thickness
Finite element method
Flow distribution
Flow pattern
Flow rates
Flow velocity
Fluid flow
Fluid mechanics
Hydrodynamics
Microchannels
Multiphase flow
Numerical simulations
Plugs
Space Exploration and Astronautics
Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics
Two phase flow
Viscosity
Viscosity ratio
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Summary:A three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation of a two-phase flow liquid/liquid is performed in a rectangular microchannel with a T-junction. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was used under ANSYS Fluent to capture the interface between the two phases. The dynamic mesh adaptation technique together with the assumption of symmetry plane helps us to reduce the computational cost. The study focuses on the flow patterns and hydrodynamics of plugs. So, the influence of the flow rate ratio q , the capillary number Ca , and the viscosity ratio on the liquid film, the plug/droplet shape, and velocity are examined here. Particularly, the plug/droplet lengths predicted by the simulation show good agreement with the experimental and correlation available in the literature. The results revealed six distinct flow patterns by dispersing water in a continuous phase of silicone oil. By decreasing the flow rate ratio as well as the viscosity ratio, the liquid film thickness increases in the corners and side planes. In turn, this greatly impacts the liquid film velocity and the plug velocity. Furthermore, capillary number (based on two-phase flow velocity) is also shown to have a greater impact than viscosity ratio and flow rate ratio on plug shape, with the curvature radii of the tail always larger than the front one.
ISSN:1875-0494
0938-0108
1875-0494
DOI:10.1007/s12217-022-10026-9