Liquid‐liquid two‐phase flow patterns in a rectangular microchannel

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the flow of immiscible fluids in a PMMA microchannel 300 μm wide and 600 μm deep was investigated experimentally. Dyed de‐ionized water and kerosene were selected as the test fluids. Flow patterns were observed by using a CCD camera and were identified by examining the video images. Flow patterns obtained at the T‐junction and in the microchannel are presented. Superficial velocities varied between 9.26 × 10 −4 ∼ 1.85 m/s for water and 9.26 × 10 −4 ∼ 2.78 m/s for kerosene. The formation mechanism of slug, monodispersed droplet and droplet populations at the T‐junction was studied. Weber numbers of water and kerosene, We KS and We WS , were used to predict the flow regime transition and the flow patterns map. The experimental data of volume of dispersed phase were successfully correlated as a function of We KS , We WS , and hold‐up fraction. Considering the uncertainty associated with experimental quantification of the process, the results are in satisfactory agreement over the wide range of 1.90 × 10 −3 < We WS < 30.43 and 5.90 × 10 −6 < We KS < 0.13 with average absolute deviation of only 16.18%. © 2006 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006