Study on Two-Phase Flow Through a Micro T-Junction

The field of microfluidics is developing rapidly with advances in MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) and μ TAS (micro total analysis system) technologies. In various devices, controlling the flow rate of liquid or gas accurately at micro or nanoliter volume levels is required. In this work, the gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns in a microchannel T-junction have been examined. The two-phase flow patterns were observed in the T-junction under two different gas and liquid injection conditions. The flow patterns of liquid and gas in the microchannel after the T-junction were also observed and classified into three types depending on the flow rate, and a two-phase flow pattern map was constructed. The mechanism of bubble breakup at a micro T-junction was also experimentally and analytically investigated.Copyright © 2003 by ASME