A Non-contact Mixing Method for Liquids in Micro-space (Development of a Non-contact Mixing Device by Creating a Wave on a Free Surface)

A new method for mixing liquids in a vessel without actually making contact with the liquid itself has been developed. The developed method uses the phenomenon referred to as radiation pressure : namely, the pressure produced by ultrasound waves as they pass through a liquid and reach its free surface, which, as a result, is pushed out. The wave of energy required to stimulate the movement of the free surface in the vessel, is generated by an ultrasound device located out side the vessel. In the current study, first, the movement of the free surface was simulated and several types of wave were tested to determine which would produce the appropriate fluid flow for proper mixing in the vessel. Next, the numerical simulations were experimentally verified by observing the flow of liquids in a vessel in a laboratory trial. Lastly, a new mixing device was designed and constructed according to the test resulted, and it was demonstrates that it can mix 250μl of liquid in 0.5 s