Lucien Baldas

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Monostable Mini- and Micro-Oscillators

An asymmetric micro-oscillator design based on a monostable fluidic amplifier is proposed. Experimental data with various feedback loop configurations point out that the main effect responsible for the oscillation is a capacitive and not a propagative effect. Actually, sound propagation in the feedback loop only generates a secondary oscillation which is not strong enough to provoke the jet switching. Data from a hybrid simulation using a commercial CFD code and a simple analytical model are in good agreement with the experimental data. A more compact plane design with reduced feedback loop volumes is also studied through a fully CFD simulation that confirms the previous conclusions.

Numerical analysis of thermal creep flow in curved channels for designing a prototype of Knudsen micropump

The possibility to generate a gas flow inside a channel just by imposing a tangential temperature gradient along the walls without the existence of an initial pressure difference is well known. The gas must be under rarefied conditions, meaning that the system must operate between the slip and the free molecular flow regimes, either at low pressure or/and at micro/nano-scale dimensions. This phenomenon is at the basis of the operation principle of Knudsen pumps, which are actually compressors without any moving parts. Nowadays, gas flows in the slip flow regime through microchannels can be modeled using commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics softwares, because in this regime the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with appropriate boundary conditions are still valid. A simulation procedure has been developed for the modeling of thermal creep flow using ANSYS Fluent®. The implementation of the boundary conditions is achieved by developing User Defined Functions (UDFs) by means of C++ routines. The complete first order velocity slip boundary condition, including the thermal creep effects due to the axial temperature gradient and the effect of the wall curvature, and the temperature jump boundary condition are applied. The developed simulation tool is used for the preliminary design of Knudsen micropumps consisting of a sequence of curved and straight channels.

Analysis of Gaseous Flows in Minichannels by Molecular Tagging Velocimetry

The Molecular Tagging Velocimetry (MTV) technique has been widely used for analyzing velocity fields in liquid mini- and microflows. Concerning gaseous flows, only few works describe the implementation of MTV at millimetric scale, and these studies are limited to the analysis of external flows, such as jet flows. The goal of the present work is to develop this technique for the analysis of internal gas flows in minichannels. It is a first step toward the visualization of velocity profiles in rarefied conditions, and direct measurement of velocity slip at the walls.A specific experimental setup has been designed. Its features are detailed. Velocity profiles are obtained in a pressure driven steady flow of argon through a long rectangular minichannel of 1.2 × 5 mm2 cross-section and 15 cm length using acetone molecules as tracer. Experiments are carried out at atmospheric pressure, in a laminar continuum flow regime. The accuracy of the method is discussed by comparison between experimental and theoretical velocity profiles.The potential of the MTV technique for analyzing mini or micro gaseous internal flows is commented on. Perspectives of the work for discussing the validity of boundary conditions in the slip flow regime are presented.Copyright

Quantitative measurement of gas pressure drop along T-shaped micro channels by interferometry

The study of gas flows in microchannels has received considerably more attention in the literature from a simulation perspective than an experimental. The majority of the experimental work has emphasis on the global measurements at the inlet or exit of the microchannel instead locally along it. In this paper some efforts were made to measure the pressure drop along T-shaped micro channel by using interferometry. The two side channels were served as gas entrances and they were both open to air and the channel outlet was being vacuumed during experiments. A Mach-Zehnder interference microscopy was built for the measurement of gas pressure drop along the mixing channel. Some points along the mixing channel were selected for interferometric measurements. Simulations were first developed in unsteady condition by using Ansys Fluent to verify the nonexistence of transient phenomena of gas flow in the defined condition and then run again in steady condition to get the theoretical pressure drop that was would be used for comparison with experimental results.

Experimental Characterization of Sub-Millimetric Fluidic Actuators: Application to Boundary Layer Separation Control

Abstract Sub-millimetric synthetic, continuous, and pulsed-jet actuators under identical conditions of generation are experimentally compared. Particle image velocimetry and hot-wire anemometry were used for measuring the velocity field. In the second part of the article, the interaction of these three types of actuators with a transverse external flow is characterized using the same experimental techniques. The studied plate is bended downstream from the actuator. Two angles are studied—0° and 28°. The efficiency of the fluidic action on the reattachment of the boundary layer is shown to be strongly dependant on the type of the jet.

Experimental and Numerical Study of the Frequency Response of a Fluidic Oscillator for Active Flow Control

A series of new bi-stable fluidic oscillators which can generate discrete pulsed jets in a wide frequency range (50-300Hz) with maximum velocities of the order of 200 m/s have been developed for flow separation control purposes. A preliminary experimental analysis of the prototypes has been performed thanks to a pressure sensor and the results have shown that the oscillation frequency has a nearly linear relationship with the length of its feedback loops. Thus, a new function is proposed to estimate the oscillation frequency according to the experimental results. In addition, numerical simulations are carried out in order to better understand the jet switching mechanism inside the oscillator and identify the parameters controlling the dynamics of these oscillations. Finally, it is verified that the switching process of the main jet is not only controlled by the pressure difference between the two control nozzles, but also by the pressure difference between the two main branches of the oscillator. This new finding will be of great help in future design of this kind of fluidic oscillators.

1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows (GasMems 2012)

The aim of the 1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows is to advance research in Europe and worldwide in the field of gas micro flows as well as to improve global fundamental knowledge and to enable technological applications. Gas flows in microsystems are of great importance and touch almost every industrial field (e.g. fluidic microactuators for active control of aerodynamic flows, vacuum generators for extracting biological samples, mass flow and temperature micro-sensors, pressure gauges, micro heat-exchangers for the cooling of electronic components or for chemical applications, and micro gas analyzers or separators). The main characteristic of gas microflows is their rarefaction, which for device design often requires modelling and simulation both by continuous and molecular approaches. In such flows various non-equilibrium transport phenomena appear, while the role played by the interaction between the gas and the solid device surfaces becomes essential. The proposed models of boundary conditions often need an empirical adjustment strongly dependent on the micro manufacturing technique. The 1st European Conference on Gas Micro Flows is organized under the umbrella of the recently established GASMEMS network (www.gasmems.eu/) consisting of 13 participants and six associate members. The main objectives of the network are to structure research and train researchers in the fields of micro gas dynamics, measurement techniques for gaseous flows in micro experimental setups, microstructure design and micro manufacturing with applications in lab and industry. The conference takes place on June 6?8 2012, at the Skiathos Palace Hotel, on the beautiful island of Skiathos, Greece. The conference has received funding from the European Communitys Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007?2013 under grant agreement ITN GASMEMS no. 215504. It owes its success to many people. We would like to acknowledge the support of all members of the Scientific Committee and of all referees for their thorough reviews and evaluation of the full papers. Above all, we would like to sincerely thank all authors for their valuable contributions to these proceedings as well as all the participants for creating a stimulating atmosphere through their presentations and discussions and making this conference a great success. Dr Arjan Frijns Editor and Event Coordinator Prof. Dimitris Valougeorgis Local Organizer Prof. St?phane Colin Network Coordinator Dr Lucien Baldas Assistant Network Coordinator The PDF also contains details of the Conference Organizers.

Numerical Simulation of Thermal Transpiration in the Slip Flow Regime With Curved Walls

Nowadays, modeling gas flows in the slip flow regime through microchannels can be achieved using commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics codes. In this regime the Navier-Stokes equations with appropriate boundary conditions are still valid. A simulation procedure has been developed for the modeling of thermal creep flow using ANSYS Fluent®. The implementation of the boundary conditions is achieved by developing User Defined Functions (UDFs) by means of C++ routines. The complete first order velocity slip boundary condition, including the thermal creep effects due to an axial temperature gradient and the effect of the wall curvature, and the temperature jump boundary condition are applied. Motivation of the present work is the development of a simulation tool which will help in the pre-calculations and the preliminary design of a Knudsen micropump consisting of successively connected curved and straight channels and in a second step in the numerical optimization of the pump, in terms of geometrical parameters and operating conditions of the system.Copyright

Gas Mass Flow Rate Measurement in T-Shaped Microchannels in Slip Flow Regime

A new setup was developed for gas mixing analysis in T-shaped microchannels. The principle of the flow rate measurement was based on the Constant Volume (CV) method [1]. The mass flow rate measurements of two gases N2 / CO2 mixing in a T mixer were carried out in the slip flow regime and followed by a simulation work for comparison. The mass flow rate has a magnitude of 10−8 or 10−7 kg/s and has good agreement with simulation for the lowest inlet over outlet pressures ratios and moderate agreement for the highest inlet over outlet pressures ratios.Copyright