Coupling of a mapping method and a genetic algorithm to optimize mixing efficiency in periodic chaotic flows

We present a new technique to globally optimize stirring and mixing in three-dimensional spatially periodic laminar flows. This technique includes a recently developed mapping method and the use of an optimization method. The method gives the opportunity of the statistics of scalar dissipation for multiple stirring protocols. Exhaustive tests, first conducted for a large number of stirring protocols show that finding a stirring protocol which produces a uniform mixture is rare for the specific geometries studied. The results indicate that a global approach is necessary to handle the problem of concentration homogenization. It is shown that Genetic Algorithms enable us to rapidly find the best stirring protocols. Thus, the method described in this paper could be an efficient computational tool for chaotic mixing optimization in other types of periodic flows (2D or 3D).