Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Dimensionless analysis on liquid-liquid flow patterns and scaling law on slug hydrodynamics in cross-junction microchannels

Cao, Zhen LU ; Wu, Zan LU and Sundén, Bengt LU (2018) In Chemical Engineering Journal 344. p.604-615
Abstract

Liquid-liquid flow patterns and slug hydrodynamics were experimentally studied in non-circular glass microchannels with water-butanol, water-toluene, water–oil and water-hexane systems, considering various hydraulic diameters (600 µm, 400 µm, 200 µm), inlet junctions (crossed, T) and aspect ratios (0.5, 1). The aqueous phase was the continuous phase due to the hydrophilic microchannel walls and the organic phase was the dispersed phase. Three main flow patterns were observed, i.e., annular flow, slug flow and droplet flow. The mechanism of flow pattern formation was explained by a force analysis, based on which, a dimensionless analysis regarding Weber number and Reynolds number was performed to develop general flow pattern transition... (More)

Liquid-liquid flow patterns and slug hydrodynamics were experimentally studied in non-circular glass microchannels with water-butanol, water-toluene, water–oil and water-hexane systems, considering various hydraulic diameters (600 µm, 400 µm, 200 µm), inlet junctions (crossed, T) and aspect ratios (0.5, 1). The aqueous phase was the continuous phase due to the hydrophilic microchannel walls and the organic phase was the dispersed phase. Three main flow patterns were observed, i.e., annular flow, slug flow and droplet flow. The mechanism of flow pattern formation was explained by a force analysis, based on which, a dimensionless analysis regarding Weber number and Reynolds number was performed to develop general flow pattern transition criteria. Additionally, slug velocities and slug length were investigated. A new scaling law was proposed to predict the slug length and it showed a good agreement with the experimental results. A linear relationship between the slug velocity and the bulk velocity of the two phases was obtained.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Flow pattern map, Flow patterns, Liquid-liquid flow, Slug formation, Slug hydrodynamics
in
Chemical Engineering Journal
volume
344
pages
12 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85044615832
ISSN
1385-8947
DOI
10.1016/j.cej.2018.03.119
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d122e7c7-b4c6-43e3-ada2-08bcd99cc20c
date added to LUP
2018-04-10 09:48:28
date last changed
2022-04-09 22:56:36
@article{d122e7c7-b4c6-43e3-ada2-08bcd99cc20c,
  abstract     = {{<p>Liquid-liquid flow patterns and slug hydrodynamics were experimentally studied in non-circular glass microchannels with water-butanol, water-toluene, water–oil and water-hexane systems, considering various hydraulic diameters (600 µm, 400 µm, 200 µm), inlet junctions (crossed, T) and aspect ratios (0.5, 1). The aqueous phase was the continuous phase due to the hydrophilic microchannel walls and the organic phase was the dispersed phase. Three main flow patterns were observed, i.e., annular flow, slug flow and droplet flow. The mechanism of flow pattern formation was explained by a force analysis, based on which, a dimensionless analysis regarding Weber number and Reynolds number was performed to develop general flow pattern transition criteria. Additionally, slug velocities and slug length were investigated. A new scaling law was proposed to predict the slug length and it showed a good agreement with the experimental results. A linear relationship between the slug velocity and the bulk velocity of the two phases was obtained.</p>}},
  author       = {{Cao, Zhen and Wu, Zan and Sundén, Bengt}},
  issn         = {{1385-8947}},
  keywords     = {{Flow pattern map; Flow patterns; Liquid-liquid flow; Slug formation; Slug hydrodynamics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  pages        = {{604--615}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Chemical Engineering Journal}},
  title        = {{Dimensionless analysis on liquid-liquid flow patterns and scaling law on slug hydrodynamics in cross-junction microchannels}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.03.119}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.cej.2018.03.119}},
  volume       = {{344}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}