Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
156375 Chemical Engineering Science 2010 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the squeezing-to-dripping transition for bubble formation in a microfluidic T-junction by cross-flowing rupture technique using a high-speed digital camera. Experiments were conducted in a glass microfluidic T-junction with the cross-section of the microchannel of 120 μm wide and 40 μm deep. N2 bubbles were generated in glycerol–water mixtures with several concentrations of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Three different regimes were identified for generating different kinds of bubbles: squeezing, dripping and transition regimes. Various forces exerted on the gaseous thread in different regimes were analyzed. Long slug bubbles were formed in the squeezing regime, while dispersed bubbles in the dripping regime. The transition regime formed short slug bubbles. The bubble sizes in various regimes could be correlated with several dimensionless numbers such as the ratio of gas/liquid flow rates and capillary number. The two-step model for droplets (Steegmans et al., 2009) was extended to describe the bubble formation.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Chemical Engineering (General)
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