화학공학소재연구정보센터
홈 로그인 로그아웃 연락처 사이트맵
Korea-Australia Rheology Journal, Vol.31, No.4, 189-194, November, 2019
DOI10.1007/s13367-019-0019-0  Export Citation
Vortex dynamics at the junction of Y-shaped microchannels in dilute polymer solutions
Yong-Min Park1, Sun Ok Hong1, Pyung Cheon Lee2, 3, †, and Ju Min Kim1, 4, †
  • 1Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
  • 2Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
  • 3Department of Applied Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
  • 4Department of Chemical Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
E-mail:,
Understanding the vortex dynamics in polymer solutions is one of keys for the flow control in a wide range of polymer-related material processing applications. Vortex is generated due to the viscoelasticity of polymer solution, even if no vortex formation is expected under Newtonian flow conditions. In addition, the chaotic vortices generated in viscoelastic fluids have been recently exploited to mix different fluid streams in microfluidic devices. Herein, we investigated the vortex dynamics in dilute poly(ethylene oxide) solutions at the junction region of Y-shaped microchannels, which have been frequently used to mix two fluid streams. We report the formation of two types of vortices: A vortex at the stagnation point of the junction (center) and a lip vortex at the upstream of the sharp corner. Fluorescent microscopy revealed that the vortex dynamics was significantly affected by the angle between the two upstream channels, polymer concentration, and flow rate. We expect that this work will be useful for understanding the viscoelastic flow in microchannels and for the future design of microfluidic devices such as microfluidic mixers.
Keywords:viscoelastic fluid;polymer solution;vortex dynamics;microfluidic channel
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