Skip to main content
Log in

Effect of elasticity number and aspect ratio on the vortex dynamics in 4:1 micro-contraction channel flow

  • Articles
  • Published:
Korea-Australia Rheology Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Changes in flow pattern were investigated for a viscoelastic fluid (polyethylene oxide) in various-sized micro-fabricated planar 4:1 contraction channels. The flow pattern changed from a Newtonian-like flow to a flow with a vortex growth region, during which a divergent flow and lip vortex were also observed depending on the elasticity number (El) and aspect ratio. When the aspect ratio was large, the lip vortex was observed only in a limited number of cases, and the flow pattern occurring before the vortex growth was more diverse. When the elasticity number was large, the divergent flow was not observed unlike the cases in which the Elasticity number was small. The flow pattern in the contraction microchannel was found to be diverse and abundant depending on the aspect ratio and elasticity number.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afonso, A.M., P.J. Oliveira, F.T. Pinho, and M.A. Alves, 2011, Dynamics of high-Deborah-number entry flows: a numerical study, J. Fluid Mech. 677, 272–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves, M.A. and R.J. Poole, 2007, Divergent flow in contractions, J. Non-Newt. Fluid 144, 140–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J.R., D.T. Chiu, H. Wu, O.J. Schueller, and G.M. Whitesides, 2000, Fabrication of microfluidic systems in poly (dimethylsiloxane), Electrophoresis 21, 27–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boger, D.V., 1987, Viscoelastic flows through contractions, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 19, 157–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boger, D.V., D.U. Hur, and R.J. Binnington, 1986, Further observations of elastic effects in tubular entry flows, J Non-Newt. Fluid 20, 31–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonn, D. and J. Meunier, 1997, Visco-elastic free boundary problems: non-Newtonian vs. normal stress effects, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2662.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cable, P.J. and D.V. Boger, 1978, A comprehensive experimental investigation of tubular entry flow of viscoelastic fluids: Part I. Vortex characteristics in stable flow, AIChE J. 24, 869–879.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cable, P.J. and D.V. Boger, 1978, A comprehensive experimental investigation of tubular entry flow of viscoelastic fluids. Part II. The velocity field in stable flow, AIChE J. 24, 992–999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cable, P.J. and D.V. Boger, 1979, A comprehensive experimental investigation of tubular entry flow of viscoelastic fluids: Part III. Unstable flow, AIChE J. 25, 152–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groisman, A. and S.R. Quake, 2004, A microfluidic rectifier: anisotropic flow resistance at low Reynolds numbers, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 094501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulati, S., S.J. Muller, and D. Liepmann, 2008, Direct measurements of viscoelastic flows of DNA in a 2: 1 abrupt planar micro-contraction, J. Non-Newt. Fluid 155, 51–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, Y., 2012, Numerical description of elastic flow instability and its dependence on liquid viscoelasticity in planar contraction, J. Rheol. 56, 1335–1362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, Y. and K.S. Park, 2012, Decoupled algorithm for transient viscoelastic flow modeling, Korea-Aust. Rheol. J. 24, 53–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKinley, G.H., W.P. Raiford, R.A. Brown, and R.C. Armstrong, 1991, Nonlinear dynamics of viscoelastic flow in axisymmetric abrupt contractions, J. Fluid Mech. 223, 411–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, P., 2001, Microfluidics-downsizing large-scale biology, Nat. biotechnol. 19, 717–721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen, H. and D.V. Boger, 1979, The kinematics and stability of die entry flows, J. Non-Newt. Fluid 5, 353–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nigen, S. and K. Walters, 2002, Viscoelastic contraction flows: comparison of axisymmetric and planar configurations, J. Non-Newt. Fluid 102, 343–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pakdel, P. and G.H. McKinley, 1996, Elastic instability and curved streamlines, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodd, L.E., J.J. Cooper-White, D.V. Boger, and G.H. McKinley, 2007, Role of the elasticity number in the entry flow of dilute polymer solutions in micro-fabricated contraction geometries, J. Non-Newt. Fluid 143, 170–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodd, L.E., T.P. Scott, D.V. Boger, J.J. Cooper-White, and G.H. McKinley, 2005, The inertio-elastic planar entry flow of lowviscosity elastic fluids in micro-fabricated geometries, J. Non-Newt. Fluid 129, 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodd, L.E., T.P. Scott, J.J. Cooper-White, G.H. McKinley, 2004, Capillary break-up rheometry of low-viscosity elastic fluids, Appl. Rheol. 15, 12–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodd, L.E., D. Lee, K.H. Ahn, and J.J. Cooper-White, 2010, The importance of downstream events in microfluidic viscoelastic entry flows: Consequences of increasing the constriction length, J. Non-Newt. Fluid Mech. 165, 1189–1203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stroock, A.D. and G.M. Whitesides, 2002, Components for integrated poly(dimethylsiloxane) microfluidic systems, Electrophoresis 23, 3461–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, K. and M.F. Webster, 1982, On dominating elastico-viscous response in some complex flows, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 308, 199–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyung Hyun Ahn.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lee, D., Kim, Y. & Ahn, K.H. Effect of elasticity number and aspect ratio on the vortex dynamics in 4:1 micro-contraction channel flow. Korea-Aust. Rheol. J. 26, 335–340 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13367-014-0038-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13367-014-0038-9

Keywords

Navigation