Open Access

ARTICLE

Effect of Velocity Ratio, Viscosity Ratio, Contact Angle, and Channel Size Ratio on Droplet Formation

by Mohammed Bourega^*, Ibrahim Kromba, Khadidja Fellah Arbi, Sofiane Soulimane

Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, Abu Bakr Belkaid University, Tlemcen, 13000, Algeria

* Corresponding Author: Mohammed Bourega. Email:

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2023, 19(10), 2471-2480. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2023.028661

Received 31 December 2022; Accepted 03 April 2023; Issue published 25 June 2023

Abstract

This study uses a T-junction to examine the effects of different parameters (velocity ratio, viscosity, contact angle, and channel size ratio) on the generation of microdroplets, related rate, and size. More specifically, numerical simulations are exploited to investigate situations with a velocity varying from 0.004 to 1.6 m/s for the continuous phase and from 0.004 to 0.8 m/s for the dispersed phase, viscosity ratios (0.668, 1, 6.689, 10, 66.899), contact angle 80° < θ < 270° and four different canal size ratios (1, 1.5, 2 and 4). The results show that canal size influences droplet size and the generation rate. The contact angle has an impact on the form and the quality of generated droplets. Moreover, the relationship between velocity and viscosity ratios, droplet size, and generation rate is non-monotonic.

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Graphic Abstract

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Keywords

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