• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.471-479
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• 2010

The adiabatic two-phase flow in single rectangular microchannels was studied for different aspect ratios. The working fluids were liquid water and nitrogen gas. The hydraulic diameters of the rectangular microchannels were 490, 322, and $143\;{\mu}m$, and the widths of the microchannels were around $500\;{\mu}m$. The two-phase flow pattern was visualized using a high-speed camera and a long-distance microscope. This study was focused on bubble flow regimes. From the visualized images, the bubble velocity, bubble length, number of bubbles, and void fraction were evaluated. Further, the pressure drop in a single bubble was evaluated by using a unit cell model. The bubble velocity is proportional to the superficial velocity. Further, the relationship between the void fraction and the volumetric quality is linear. The pressure drop in a single elongated bubble is strongly related to the aspect ratio. Finally, the new correlation about the pressure drop of a single elongated bubble in the rectangular microchannel was proposed.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.7
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• pp.605-612
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• 2016

A numerical analysis was performed on the effect of the design parameters of a bubble jet type microactuator on its liquid flow characteristics. The numerical models included the ink flow from the reservoir, bubble formation and growth, ejection through the nozzle, and dynamics of the refilling process. Because the bubble behavior is a very important parameter for the overall actuator performance, the bubble growth and collapse phenomena in an open pool were simulated in the present study. The drop ejection and refill process were numerically predicted for various geometries of the nozzle, chamber, and restrictor of the bubble jet microactuator. The numerical results from varying the design parameters can help with predicting the performance and optimizing the design of a microactuator.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.557-566
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• 2015

The characteristics of a gas-liquid Taylor (slug) flow in a square micro-channel with dimensions of $600{\mu}m{\times}600{\mu}m$ are experimentally investigated in this paper. The test fluids were nitrogen and water. The superficial velocities of the liquid and gas were in the ranges of 0.01 - 3 m/s and 0.1 - 3 m/s, respectively. The bubble and liquid slug lengths, bubble velocities, and bubble frequencies for various inlet conditions were measured by analyzing optical images obtained with a high-speed camera. It was found that the measured values (bubble and liquid slug lengths, bubble velocities) were not in good agreement with the values obtained using empirical models presented in the existing literature. Modified models for the bubble and liquid slug lengths and bubble velocity are suggested and shown to be in good agreement (${\pm}20$) with the measured values. Moreover, the bubble frequency could be predicted well by the relationship between the unit cell length and its velocity.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1089-1095
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• 2011

Numerical simulation is performed for nucleate boiling on a micro-finned surface, which has been widely used to enhance heat transfer, by solving the equations governing the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy in the liquid and vapor phases. The bubble motion is determined by a sharp-interface level-set method, which is modified to include the effect of phase change and to treat the no-slip and contact-angle conditions, as well as the evaporative heat flux from the liquid microlayer on immersed solid surfaces such as micro fins and cavities. The numerical results for bubble formation, growth, and departure on a microstructured surface including fins and cavities show that the bubble behavior during nucleate boiling is significantly influenced by the fin-cavity arrangement and the fin-fin spacing.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.418-426
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• 1995

A bubble-powered microactuator is designed conceptually. And the actuation mechanism due to bubble growth and collapse is studied numerically and analytically. In this analysis, it is estimated that the time lag for bubble formation on micro line heater, the duration of the bubble growth and collapse and the pressure change in actuator due to the bubble evolution. Based on these calculations, the actuator control scheme is visualized. This actuator may be applicable to the system which needs to pump liquid correctly and regularly.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.1909-1914
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• 2003

Bubble growth on microheater has been experimentally investigated in this study. The experiment was performed using platinum micro heaters having dimensions of $100{\times}10{\times}0.2{\mu}m^3$ with constant heat flux. A high speed video camera was used to observe bubble growth at 250 frames per second. Microheater temperature was measured at the rate of 300Hz with a data acquisition system. When heater temperature was $139^{\circ}C$ a bubble was nucleated in the liquid FC-72. The temperature profiles and the high speed camera images were combined to explain heat transfer and bubble growth on microheater.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.1464-1469
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• 2004

In this study, micro square heaters having dimensions of $65{\times}65{\mu}m^2$and $100{\times}100{\mu}m^2$ were fabricated and bubble nucleation experiments on the heaters were performed. Bubble nucleation temperature was also measured using a bridge circuit and the photographs of bubble nucleation and subsequent growth were taken by a camera with a flash unit. Measured bubble nucleation temperatures were found to be closer to the superheat limit of working fluid (FC-72). Also quasi-1D analyses for the square heaters were performed. The quasi-1D analysis yielded proper temperature distribution of the square heater at steady state, however failed to predict the temperature rise up to the steady state. Similar time dependent temperature can be obtained with proper value of thermal diffusivity. For the $100{\times}100{\mu}m^2$ square heater, nucleation of several bubbles was observed while only one bubble was observed to be nucleated on $65{\times}65{\mu}m^2$ heater.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.227-236
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• 2016

In the present experimental study, the effect of gas- and liquid-injected methods on the formation of bubble and liquid slug at the merging micro T-junction of a square microchannel with dimensions $600{\mu}m{\times}600{\mu}m$ was investigated. Nitrogen and water were used as test fluids. The superficial velocities of the liquid and gas were in the range of 0.05 - 1 m/s, and 0.1 - 1 m/s, respectively, where the Taylor flow was observed. The bubble length, liquid slug length, bubble velocity, and bubble generation frequency were measured by analyzing the images captured using a high-speed camera. Under similar inlet superficial velocity conditions, in the case of gas injection to the main channel at the merging T-junction (T_gas-liquid), the lengths of the bubble and liquid slug were longer, and the bubble generation frequency was lower than in the case of liquid injection to the main channel at the merging T-junction (T_liquid-gas). On the other hand, in both cases, the bubble velocity was almost the same. The previous correlation proposed using experimental data for T_liquid-gas had predicted the present experimental data of bubble length, bubble velocity, liquid slug length, and bubble generation frequency for T_gas-liquid to be ~24%, ~9%, ~39%, ~55%, respectively.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.597-602
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• 2015

Characteristics of continuous preparation of ZnO powder were investigated in a micro drop/bubble fluidized reactor of which diameter and height were 0.03 m and 1.5 m, respectively. The flow rate of carrier gas for transportation of precursors to the reactor was 6.0 L/min and the concentration of Zn ion in the precursor solutions was 0.4 mol/L, respectively. Effects of reaction temperature (973 K~1,273 K) and flow rate of micro bubbles (0~0.4 L/min) on the pore characteristics of prepared ZnO powder were examined. The optimum reaction temperature for the maximum porosity in the ZnO powder was 1,073 K within this experimental condition. The mean size of ZnO powder prepared continuously in the reactor decreased but the surface of the powder became smooth, with increasing reaction temperature. The injection of micro bubbles into the reactor could enhance the formation of pores in the powder effectively, and thus the mean BET surface area could be increased by up to 58%. The mean size of prepared ZnO powder was in the range of $1.25{\sim}1.75{\mu}m$ depending on the reaction temperature.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.831-838
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• 2011

A growing bubble can be squeezed for water, and it will then encounter flow instability, which reverses toward upstream in straight micro-channels. To reduce the flow instability, a micro-channel that expands at the downstream end has been found to be effective. In the expanding area, a growing bubble will tend to move downstream because the net surface tension force of a vapor-liquid interface is inversely proportional to the local radius of curvature. We propose a static flow instability model and validate it experimentally. Moreover, we apply the local-instability parameter concept to the real design of a stable evaporative micro-channel with an expanding area. Based on the localinstability model, we establish a static design for stable expanding evaporative micro-channels.