Abstract
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) based technologies have recently been explored for various sensing and microfluidic applications, and numerous experimental studies and numerical modelling of SAW streaming and liquid-solid interactions have been performed. However, the large deformation of droplet interface actuated by SAWs has not been widely explored, mainly due to the complex physics of SAW-droplet interactions and interfacial phenomena. In this paper, a computational interface tracking method is developed based on the couple level set the volume of fluid (CLSVOF) approach to simulate the interactions between liquid and acoustic waves and deformation of the liquid-air surface. A dynamic contact angle boundary condition is developed and validated by experimental results to simulate the three-phase contact line dynamics. The modified CLSVOF method is then used to study the droplet jetting and internal streaming behaviours by analyzing the energy terms within the liquid medium. Furthermore, by applying the numerical model, effects of configurations and positions of two interdigital transducers (IDTs) on droplet actuation have been investigated to achieve efficient mixing, separation, and jetting. Results show that two perfectly aligned IDTs are optimal for mixing applications. In contrast, two offset IDTs are optimal for concentration and separation applications. The maximum jetting velocity and minimum jetting time are achieved by using a pair of aligned IDTs, whereas by using the two offset IDTs, effective liquid mixing and jetting are observed which can be used in bioprinting applications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103545 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | International Journal of Multiphase Flow |
Volume | 136 |
Early online date | 18 Dec 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was financially supported by the UK Engineering, and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grants EP/P018998/1, and Special Interests Group of Acoustofluidics under the EPSRC-funded UK Fluidic Network (EP/N032861/1).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020
Keywords
- Surface acoustic wave
- Droplet jetting
- Acoustic streaming
- CLSVOF
- Interdigital transducer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes