Fluid mixing enhancement through chaotic advection in mini/micro-channel

Abstract

Chaotic fluid mixing in mini/micro-channel is investigated through both numerical and experimental approaches. New chaotic micromixers using two-layer crossing channels are introduced, which exhibit rapid mixing even in low Reynolds number regime. Dynamical tools are applied to analyze the flow and mixing in 3D spatial-periodic microchannels. Based on the inert-particle-tracking results, approximate mapping method is studied for mixing prediction. The fluid inertial effects and geometrical effects on chaotic mixing are also discussed. A reorientation method is proposed to eliminate the isolated regions in the partial chaotic mixer to achieve global mixing. Relevant results will further our understanding on passive chaotic mixing in microchannels, and provide valuable references for design and optimization of chaotic micromixer.