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rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
22
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-10-19
pubmed:abstractText
We recently proposed a technique for preparing monodisperse emulsions with a coefficient of variation below 5% from a silicon array of micrometer-sized channels perpendicular to the plate surface, named a straight-through microchannel (MC). This study involved three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to calculate the formation of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion droplet from straight-through MCs with circular and elliptic cross sections. The CFD results demonstrated that the oil phase that passed through the elliptic MCs exceeding a threshold aspect ratio between 3 and 3.5 was cut off spontaneously into a small droplet with a diameter of approximately 40 microm. Sufficient space for water at the channel exit had to be maintained for successful droplet formation. The formation and shrinkage of a neck inside the channel caused an increased pressure difference inside the channel and an increased velocity value near the neck. The pressure and velocity values at the neck drastically changed, and the neck was cut off instantaneously just before the completion of droplet formation. This process was triggered by a gradually increased pressure difference between the circular neck and inflating oil phase. The findings obtained in this paper provide useful numerical and visual information about the droplet formation phenomena from the straight-through MCs. The CFD results were verified by the experimental results, showing that the CFD approach can help design a suitable channel structure.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:status
PubMed-not-MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
0743-7463
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
26
pubmed:volume
20
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
9868-77
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
CFD simulation and analysis of emulsion droplet formation from straight-through microchannels.
pubmed:affiliation
National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article