Effects of surface topography on low Reynolds number droplet/bubble flow through constricted passage

TL;DR

This study investigates how surface topography influences droplet and bubble flow in low Reynolds number regimes through constricted passages, highlighting the importance of geometric parameters beyond traditional physical factors.

Contribution

It uniquely evaluates the role of surface topography and geometric parameters in multiphase flow through constrictions, extending beyond previous studies focused mainly on physical parameters.

Findings

Surface topography significantly affects flow behavior.

Geometric parameters like constriction shape influence droplet dynamics.

Scaling analysis identifies key non-dimensional numbers governing the flow.

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to study the effects of surface topography on the flow of a droplet (or a bubble) in a low Reynolds number flow regime. Multiphase flows through a constricted passage find many interesting applications in chemistry and biology. The main parameters which determine the flow properties such as flow rate and pressure drop, and govern the complex multiphase phenomena such as drop coalescence, break-up and snap-off in a straight channel flow are the viscosity ratio, droplet size and ratio of the viscous forces to the surface tension forces (denoted by Capillary number). But in flow through a constricted passage, in addition to the above-mentioned parameters, various other geometric parameters such as constriction ratio, length and shape of the constriction, phase angle, and spacing between the constrictions also start playing an important role. Most of the studies done on the problem of drop flow through a constricted passage have aimed to understand the role of physical parameters, with some studies extending their analysis to understand the variation of one or two geometric parameters. But no study could be found which explicitly evaluates the role of surface topography. An attempt has been made to unify the current literature as well as analyze the effect of the geometric parameters by understanding the physics and mechanisms involved. The non-dimensional numbers which govern this problem are then identified using the scaling analysis.