Enhanced Fluid Mixing Using a Reversed Multistage Tesla Micromixer

Abstract

A two‐dimensonal Tesla micromixer is experimentally characterized at varying Reynolds numbers (Re) and valve stages with the aim to acquire sufficiently high mixing performance. To ease fabrication, a simplified Tesla valve design is adopted. Results show two distinctive regimes of low and high Re. In the low‐Re regime, a steady incremental mixing was observed as the fluid passes by each valve, whereas an enhanced mixing was identified right in the first valve in the high‐Re regime. This is predominantly due to the amplified opposing flow from the helix branch which promotes stronger chaotic advection in the main microchannel. Interestingly, the measured mixing performance was found comparable to that of three‐dimensional passive micromixers reported in the literature.

Characterization of a Sub‐Atmospheric Pressure‐Inducing Micropump Based on Flow Rate and Gauge Pressure Measurements

“…The fabricated SAP micropump was tested using three different microfluidic channels, namely, conventional T-shape [27][28][29][30], magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) [31][32][33], and Tesla microchannels [34][35][36]. The microchannels (Fig.…”

“…Two inlets and one outlet port with a diameter of 3.5 mm were cut through for direct attachment of the inlet and outlet tubing. The engraved sheet was then fixed to another PMMA sheet of the same size [33], and (c) multistage Tesla microchannels [36].…”

“…The mean flow rates measured during attachment with the T-shape [29,30], cylindrical MHD [33], and multistage Tesla microchannels [36] are shown in Tab. 3.…”

“…Figure 2. Schematics of the (a) T-shape[29,30], (b) cylindrical MHD[33], and (c) multistage Tesla microchannels[36].…”

Tesla Valve Microfluidics: The Rise of Forgotten Technology

“…Using TV microchannels has been essential in a variety of applications, including as a valve, flow resistance, and micromixer because of their unique asymmetrical flow direction [9][10][11]. One of the key advantages of using a TV channel as a passive component in a microfluidic system is its integration with a channel in a plane dimension.…”