The Influence of the Unit Junction on the Performance of a Repetitive Structure Micromixer.

In order to investigate the influence of the unit junction on the micromixer performance, a repetitive structure micromixer with a total length of 12.3 mm was proposed. This micromixer consists of a T-shape inlet channel and six cubic mixing units, as well as junctions between them. Numerical simulations show that, when the junctions are all located at the geometric center of the cubic mixing unit, the outlet mixing index is 72.12%. At the same flow velocity, the best mixing index achieved 97.15% and was increased by 34.68% when the junctions were located at different corners of the cubic mixing unit. The improvement in the mixing index illustrated that the non-equilibrium vortexes generated by changing the junction location to utilize the restricted diffusion by the mixing unit's side wall could promote mixing. Visual tests of the micromixer chip prepared by 3D printing were consistent with the simulation results, also indicating that the junction location had a significant influence on the mixer's performance. This article provides a new idea for optimizing the structural design and improving the performance of micromixers.