Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance
In recent years, microfluidics has emerged as an interdisciplinary field, receiving significant attention across various biomedical applications. Achieving a noticeable mixing of biofluids and biochemicals at laminar flow conditions is essential in numerous microfluidics systems. In this research wo...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Muhammad Waqas Arvydas Palevicius Vytautas Jurenas Kestutis Pilkauskas Giedrius Janusas |
| author_facet | Muhammad Waqas Arvydas Palevicius Vytautas Jurenas Kestutis Pilkauskas Giedrius Janusas |
| author_sort | Muhammad Waqas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, microfluidics has emerged as an interdisciplinary field, receiving significant attention across various biomedical applications. Achieving a noticeable mixing of biofluids and biochemicals at laminar flow conditions is essential in numerous microfluidics systems. In this research work, a new kind of micromixer design integrated with an Archimedes screw is designed and investigated using numerical simulation and experimental approaches. First, the geometrical parameters such as screw length (<i>l</i>), screw pitch (<i>p</i>) and gap (<i>s</i>) are optimized using the Design of Expert (DoE) approach and the Central Composite Design (CCD) method. The experimental designs generated by DoE are then numerically simulated aiming to determine Mixing Index (<i>MI</i>) and Performance Index (<i>PI</i>). For this purpose, COMSOL Multiphysics with two physics modules—laminar and transport diluted species—is used. The results revealed a significant influence of screw length, screw pitch and gap on mixing performance. The optimal design achieved is then scaled up and fabricated using a 3D additive manufacturing technique. In addition, the optimal micromixer design is numerically and experimentally investigated at diverse Reynolds numbers, ranging from 2 to 16. The findings revealed the optimal geometrical parameters that produce the best result compared to other designs are a screw length of 0.5 mm, screw pitch of 0.23409 mm and a 0.004 mm gap. The obtained values of the mixing index and the performance index are 98.47% and 20.15 Pa<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. In addition, a higher mixing performance is achieved at the lower Reynolds number of 2, while a lower mixing performance is observed at the higher Reynolds number of 16. This study can be very beneficial for understanding the impact of geometrical parameters and their interaction with mixing performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b73ce80513254021b96cd770de8a9ca1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-b73ce80513254021b96cd770de8a9ca12025-01-24T13:42:05ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-01-011618210.3390/mi16010082Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing PerformanceMuhammad Waqas0Arvydas Palevicius1Vytautas Jurenas2Kestutis Pilkauskas3Giedrius Janusas4Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, 51424 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, 51424 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, 51424 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, 51424 Kaunas, LithuaniaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, 51424 Kaunas, LithuaniaIn recent years, microfluidics has emerged as an interdisciplinary field, receiving significant attention across various biomedical applications. Achieving a noticeable mixing of biofluids and biochemicals at laminar flow conditions is essential in numerous microfluidics systems. In this research work, a new kind of micromixer design integrated with an Archimedes screw is designed and investigated using numerical simulation and experimental approaches. First, the geometrical parameters such as screw length (<i>l</i>), screw pitch (<i>p</i>) and gap (<i>s</i>) are optimized using the Design of Expert (DoE) approach and the Central Composite Design (CCD) method. The experimental designs generated by DoE are then numerically simulated aiming to determine Mixing Index (<i>MI</i>) and Performance Index (<i>PI</i>). For this purpose, COMSOL Multiphysics with two physics modules—laminar and transport diluted species—is used. The results revealed a significant influence of screw length, screw pitch and gap on mixing performance. The optimal design achieved is then scaled up and fabricated using a 3D additive manufacturing technique. In addition, the optimal micromixer design is numerically and experimentally investigated at diverse Reynolds numbers, ranging from 2 to 16. The findings revealed the optimal geometrical parameters that produce the best result compared to other designs are a screw length of 0.5 mm, screw pitch of 0.23409 mm and a 0.004 mm gap. The obtained values of the mixing index and the performance index are 98.47% and 20.15 Pa<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. In addition, a higher mixing performance is achieved at the lower Reynolds number of 2, while a lower mixing performance is observed at the higher Reynolds number of 16. This study can be very beneficial for understanding the impact of geometrical parameters and their interaction with mixing performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/1/82micromixingArchimedes screwmicrofluidicsmixing indexperformance index |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Waqas Arvydas Palevicius Vytautas Jurenas Kestutis Pilkauskas Giedrius Janusas Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance Micromachines micromixing Archimedes screw microfluidics mixing index performance index |
| title | Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance |
| title_full | Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance |
| title_fullStr | Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance |
| title_short | Design and Investigation of a Passive-Type Microfluidics Micromixer Integrated with an Archimedes Screw for Enhanced Mixing Performance |
| title_sort | design and investigation of a passive type microfluidics micromixer integrated with an archimedes screw for enhanced mixing performance |
| topic | micromixing Archimedes screw microfluidics mixing index performance index |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/1/82 |
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