The study of design and mixing characteristics of a micromixer based on DLV-SAR layered structure

Abstract This paper proposes a new and efficient micromixer (double-layer vortex split-and-recombine) based on the principles of splitting-recombination and vortex mechanisms, which employs a dual-layer vortex structure for split-composite and chaotic convection. Through numerical simulations and experimental studies of the micromixer, the advantages of its fluid mixing capabilities were outlined. Based on this, the Reynolds number (Re) and the aspect ratio ( λ ) of the micromixer’s channel were coordinated to comprehensively study the mixing performance and pressure loss. The results indicate that the mixing efficiency is optimal when Re = 25–100 and λ = 0.5. The mixing index ( ϕ ) decreases as the aspect ratio ( λ ) increases, and the effect of Re on pressure loss also diminishes. At Re = 25–100, the maximum mixing volume flow rate occurs at an aspect ratio of 1, and the mixer with an aspect ratio of 1 demonstrates superior performance in mixing volume flow rate as Re increases, compared to mixers with other aspect ratios. The overall performance index (Φ) of the micromixer increases with the aspect ratio ( λ ), with relatively better performance at λ = 1.25 and λ = 1.5. Both simulation and experimental results show that the micromixer not only has a simple channel structure and dual-layer stacking, but also exhibits excellent mixing performance, offering significant potential for applications in chemical and biological engineering.