Numerical Study of Mixing Two-Components Non-Newtonian Fluids in Double T-Shaped Micromixers and Multiple T-Shaped with Aligned and Non-Aligned Inputs

Passive micro-mixers have simpler manufacturing in comparison with active micro-mixers and only require energy for flow pumping. In the present study, non-Newtonian fluids and non-Newtonian power-law fluid’s mixing behavior in passive micro-mixers have been studied. Simulation has been performed, using computational fluid dynamics commecrical code of Ansys fluent and two different approaches of two-component mixing have investigated. The first approach studies fluid’s mixing behavior by changing flow behavior index and flow consistency index in 5 different 3D geometries as multiple T-micromixer with aligned and non-aligned inputs in one and two plane, respectively, multiple T-micromixer, double T-micromixer, and T-micromixer, while the second approach studies mixing behavior by changing flow behavior index while flow consistency index is constant in two multiple 3D geometries with non-aligned inputs. In all studies, water was used as Newtonian fluid and carboxymethyl cellulose solution was used as non-Newtonian fluid. The studied range of Reynolds number was 1 to 100. In both approaches, the results for mixing index and pressure drop for power-law index according to criterion are reverse of each other; it means that in the first approach, with increasing power-law index, the mixing index increased and the pressure drop decreased and in second approach, this procedure is reversed. But, procedure of non-dimensional fully developed velocities in two approaches investigated is similar in comparison to geometries with non-aligned inputs.