Numerical Modeling And Analysis Of Gas-liquid Flow In Microchannals

The multiphase flows in microchannles have many advantages compared with the macro-scaled ones in heat and mass transfer. In particular, bubbly flows and slug flows are often seen and used in microfluidic devices. Therefore, it is very important to study the fluid behavior and principles of complex gas-liquid flow in microchannels. The two phase flow charasteristics in microchannels are determined by the flow conditions, the channel geometry, and the properties of both fluids. Generally, it was found that the gas-liquid flow in microchannels could be catergorized into three different basic regimes, namely, bubbly flow, slug flow, churn flowand annular flow. The flow regime maps have been developed by several authors. Different channel geometries, shapes and properties of fluids lead to different flow behavior. In this paper, numerical simulation analysis on gas-liquid flow in the T-junction and Y-typed microchannels was carried out with VOF and the comparison between numerical simulation and experimental results were conducted. Then distribution graphs of velocity, pressure and phase of fluid in the microchannel was obtained, which can offer a theoretical basis on gas-liquid flow in microchannels.