Experimental study of efficient mixing in micro-fluidized bed

Zivkovic, V; Ridge, N; Biggs, MJ

Experimental study of efficient mixing in micro-fluidized bed

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Vladimir Zivkovic

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Abstract

The micro-fluidized bed represents a novel means of significantly enhancing mixing and mass and heat transfer under the low Reynolds number flows that dominate in microfluidic devices. This study experimentally evaluates the mixing performance in a micro-fluidized bed in terms of an efficiency index and the efficiency improvements it affords over the equivalent particle-free system. The dye dilution technique coupled with standard top-view image analysis was used to characterize the mixing efficiency in a 400 x 175 μm² polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Y-shaped microchannel. The micro-fluidized bed was found to afford mixing efficiencies up to 300% greater than those in the particle-free channel as shown in Figure 1. The mixing systems appear to have an optimal operating voidage of around 0.7, at which the efficiency of mixing is maximized.