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Numerical Modeling And Experimental Investigation Of Gas-Liquid Slug Formation In A Microchannel T-Junction, Rafael M. Santos, Masahiro Kawaji

Faculty Publications and Scholarship

Gas-liquid two-phase flow in a microfluidic T-junction with nearly square microchannels of 113 μm hydraulic diameter was investigated experimentally and numerically. Air and water superficial velocities were 0.018–0.791 m/s and 0.042–0.757 m/s, respectively. Three-dimensional modeling was performed with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software FLUENT and the volume-of-fluid (VOF) model. Slug flow (snapping/breaking/jetting) and stratified flow were observed experimentally. Numerically predicted void fraction followed a linear relationship with the homogeneous void fraction, while experimental values depended on the superficial velocity ratio UG/UL. Higher experimental velocity slip caused by gas inlet pressure build-up and oscillation caused deviation from numerical predictions. Velocity slip …