THE FRONT-TRACKING METHOD FOR MULTIPHASE FLOWS IN MICROSYSTEMS: APPLICATIONS

摘要

The aim of this paper is to present computational modeling of multiphase/multifluid flows encountered or inspired by lab-on-a-chip applications. In particular, the motion and deformation of drops/bubbles moving through micro channels, the effects of channel curvature on the liquid film thickness between a large bubble and serpentine channel, chaotic mixing in a micodroplet moving through a serpentine channel, effects of channel curvature on the chaotic mixing and axial dispersion in a segmented gas-liquid flow, effects of soluble surfactants and modeling of a single cell epitaxi are discussed. Computational results are compared with the analytical results in limiting cases as well as with the available experimental data. Difficulties in mathematical and computational modeling of multiphase flow problems in Microsystems are emphasized and some remedies for these difficulties are offered.