Numerical analysis of lamination effect in a vortex micro T-mixer with non-aligned inputs

• Published in: Heat and mass transfer Vol. 52; no. 3; pp. 611 - 619
• Main Authors: Rabani, Ramin, Talebi, Shahram, Rabani, Mehrdad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Engineering; Engineering Thermodynamics; Heat and Mass Transfer; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Original; Thermodynamics; Recirculation Zone; Lamination; Vortex; Lattice Boltzmann Method; Reynolds Number
• ISSN: 0947-7411; 1432-1181
• DOI: 10.1007/s00231-015-1584-5

In the present study, the lamination effect in a micro T-mixer with non-aligned inputs on the mixing index has been investigated numerically in four different cases. The multi-block lattice Boltzmann method has been implemented for the flow field simulation and the second order upwind finite difference scheme has been used to simulate mass transfer. Reynolds numbers includes in the range of 10 ≤  Re  ≤ 70. The simulation results show that the lamination effect in the mixer inputs, despite of its simple design, causes the interface of two fluids to increase and also to make the vortex effect stronger in the confluence of two fluid streams that increases the mixing index considerably. Of four lamination cases included for the mixing input, the maximum mixing index is for the vertical and asymmetrical lamination at the Reynolds number of 70 that is equal 0.689 and the minimum mixing index is for the horizontal and asymmetrical lamination at the Reynolds number of 10 that is equal 0.198.