Transport Phenomena and Fluid Mechanics

Breakup dynamics of slender bubbles in non-newtonian fluids in microfluidic flow-focusing devices

  1. Taotao Fu1,2,
  2. Youguang Ma1,*,
  3. Denis Funfschilling2,
  4. Chunying Zhu1,
  5. Huai Z. Li2,*

Article first published online: 9 JAN 2012

DOI: 10.1002/aic.13723

Issue

AIChE Journal

AIChE Journal

Volume 58, Issue 11, pages 3560–3567, November 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Fu, T., Ma, Y., Funfschilling, D., Zhu, C. and Li, H. Z. (2012), Breakup dynamics of slender bubbles in non-newtonian fluids in microfluidic flow-focusing devices. AIChE J., 58: 3560–3567. doi: 10.1002/aic.13723

Author Information

  1. 1

    State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China

  2. 2

    Laboratory of Reactions and Process Engineering, Nancy-University, CNRS, Nancy Cedex 54001, France

*State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 5 OCT 2012
  2. Article first published online: 9 JAN 2012
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 22 DEC 2011 02:06PM EST
  4. Manuscript Revised: 1 DEC 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 17 MAY 2011

Funded by

  • National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: 20876107, 21076139
  • State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering. Grant Number: SKL-ChE-08B06
  • Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities. Grant Number: B06006
  • China Scholarship Council and the French Embassy in China

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Keywords:

  • bubble;
  • breakup;
  • non-Newtonian;
  • flow-focusing;
  • microfluidics;
  • micro-PIV

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the breakup of slender bubbles in non-Newtonian fluids in microfluidic flow-focusing devices using a high-speed camera and a microparticle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) system. Experiments were conducted in 400- and 600-μm square microchannels. The variation of the minimum width of gaseous thread with the remaining time before pinch-off could be scaled as a power-law relationship with an exponent less than 1/3, obtained for the pinch-off of bubbles in Newtonian fluids. The velocity field and spatial viscosity distribution in the liquid phase around the gaseous thread were determined by micro-PIV to understand the bubble breakup mechanism. A scaling law was proposed to describe the size of bubbles generated in these non-Newtonian fluids at microscale. The results revealed that the rheological properties of the continuous phase affect significantly the bubble breakup in such microdevices. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J,, 2012

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