We develop a quantitative analysis of mixing regimes in an annular MHD-driven micromixer recently proposed by Gleeson et al. as a prototype for biomolecular applications. The analysis is based on the spectral properties of the advection-diffusion operator, with specific focus on the dependence of the dominant eigenvalue-eigenfunction on the Peclet number and on the system geometry. A theoretical prediction for the dominant eigenvalue encompassing all mixing regimes is developed and validated by comparison with numerical simulations. The theoretical prediction is extended to an open inflow-outflow version of the reactor, which shows the occurrence of new regimes associated with the existence of a nonuniform axial flow.
Spectral characterization of mixing properties of annular MHD micromixers / Cerbelli, Stefano; Adrover, Alessandra; Garofalo, Fabio; Giona, Massimiliano. - In: MICROFLUIDICS AND NANOFLUIDICS. - ISSN 1613-4982. - STAMPA. - 6:6(2009), pp. 747-761. [10.1007/s10404-008-0342-0]
Spectral characterization of mixing properties of annular MHD micromixers
CERBELLI, Stefano;ADROVER, Alessandra;GAROFALO, FABIO;GIONA, Massimiliano
2009
Abstract
We develop a quantitative analysis of mixing regimes in an annular MHD-driven micromixer recently proposed by Gleeson et al. as a prototype for biomolecular applications. The analysis is based on the spectral properties of the advection-diffusion operator, with specific focus on the dependence of the dominant eigenvalue-eigenfunction on the Peclet number and on the system geometry. A theoretical prediction for the dominant eigenvalue encompassing all mixing regimes is developed and validated by comparison with numerical simulations. The theoretical prediction is extended to an open inflow-outflow version of the reactor, which shows the occurrence of new regimes associated with the existence of a nonuniform axial flow.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.