A Numerical Study on Liquid Mixing in Multichannel Micromixers

Abstract

Single microchannels and their arrangements for liquid mixing are investigated numerically. A smaller lateral inlet diameter and the zigzag form of the channels are found to be beneficial for the mixing performance in microchannels. Under proper operational conditions, the mixing process can be almost completed. Furthermore, some constructal distributor designs for the arrangement of microchannels are proposed and analyzed with regard to the fluid distribution. For the optimized distributor, the standard deviation from perfectly even distribution does not exceed 4% while keeping the pressure drop low. Two multichannel micromixer designs are suggested, with accordingly optimized microchannels and distributors, and their mixing performance is very close to that of a single microchannel. The specific energy dissipation in the multichannel micromixer is in the range of 0.016−93 W/kg, which is similar to batch reactors. Finally, the design procedure for multichannel micromixers is proposed.

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