Mixing Performance and Application of a Three-Dimensional Serpentine Microchannel Reactor with a Periodic Vortex-Inducing Structure

Abstract

A new type of three-dimensional (3D) serpentine microchannel reactor was fabricated by thermally bonding stacked polyimide films to greatly improve the mixing efficiency by transversal vortices at low Reynolds number (Re). The effects of Re, flow ratio R, and channel width on the mixing performance were investigated using the Villermaux−Dushman method, in which the segregation index X S was utilized to quantify the mixing efficiency. The results showed that X S decreased with increasing Re, decreasing R, and reducing channel width. Then, a computational fluid dynamics model was employed to analyze the flow characteristics. The vortices that varied periodically along the 3D serpentine microchannel significantly improved the mixing efficiency. Furthermore, the application of the 3D serpentine microchannel reactor in the biohydration of acrylonitrile demonstrated that the new design is very promising for fast reactions that are limited by mass transfer resistance.

Mixing performance and continuous production of nanomaterials in an advanced-flow reactor

“…For microreactors, when studying the effect of flow rate ratio, the segregation index was widely found to decrease with the increasing flow rate of sulphuric acid solution (i.e. the decreasing initial concentration of H + ions) [66]. Similar to the previous studies, as shown in Figure 15b, the segregation index was determined by the initial concentration of H + ions in this study.…”

Numerical Analysis of Mixing Performance of a Novel ‘Y-U’ Split and Recombine Micromixer

“…The integration of discrete equations coupled in the pressure−velocity formulation was realized with the implicit algorithm SIMPLEC. QUICK scheme (for momentum and species) and the PRESTO (pressure staggering option) scheme (for pressure) was also employed in the simulation [6]. To ascertain the mixing performance as a standard criterion for evaluation of the mixing process, the following equations are used [28].…”

“…Some other benefits of using micromixers are reproducible environment, benefit various biological applications from nucleic acid and protein analysis to drug development and drug delivery [5]. Generally, micromixers operate at low Reynolds number (Re), hence the flow is predominantly laminar, and the mixing process relies on molecular diffusion, which requires a considerable channel length and time to achieve good mixing performance [6]. To overcome these shortcomings two distinct types of mixers are introduced, namely active and passive.…”

“…[9]. CFD has become an economic, time-saving, and effective method of investigating the reactive flow and of exploring new geometries of microreactors through visualizing the mixing and reaction process [6]. Therefore lots of researchers are using CFD to design and analyze novel micromixers [22], [23].…”

Three-Fluid Sequential Micromixing-Assisted Nanoparticle Synthesis Utilizing Alternating Current Electrothermal Flow

“…Compared to the conventional mechanical stirring mixing process, fluidic mixing within a micromixer has become a particularly exciting field due to its advantages of low reagent consumption, fast mixing, facile operation, and convenient integration with other analysis modules, delivering a better controlled chemical synthesis. Within the micromixer, a passive mixer relies on the specific structure within the main channel, which is generally used to perform two-fluid reactions, simultaneous reactions among three fluids, and segmented microreactions. − However, it remains challenging to use a passive mixer for continuous sequential reactions, which requires specific control of the mixing sequence and timing. In contrast, active mixers offer better control since they require external interference to drive the mixing.…”