Investigation of mixing in a cross-shaped micromixer with static mixing elements for reaction kinetics studies

An investigation of mixing in a cross-shaped micromixer incorporated with static mixing elements (SME) is carried out through the use of a computational fluid dynamics software package. It is found that with the inclusion of these mixing elements at the outlet channel of the cross-shaped micromixer, rapid mixing of two liquids can be achieved, as shown by the results of computer simulations. Distinct improvements in the concentration uniformity are observed after static mixing elements are used. The performances of the micromixer with and without static mixing elements are compared. The enhancement in mixing performance is thought to be caused by the generation of eddies and lateral velocity component when the mixture flows past these elements. The pressure requirement for rapid mixing is drastically reduced as a result of incorporating these static mixing elements in the micromixer. It is shown that a mixing time of less than I ms can be achieved with just 2 bar of applied pressure on each liquid. It finds applications in reaction kinetics studies and at the same time opens up many new possibilities. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.