Numerical simulations of laminar mixing surfaces in pulsatile microchannel flows

Laminar mixing on the micro-scale is difficult to achieve owing to the inherently low Reynolds numbers of the flows and lack of turbulence. Alternative strategies, both passive and active, have been proposed to enhance laminar mixing. In this study the effect of flow pulsatility on the dynamics of a laminar mixing surface formed between converging microchannel flows is studied numerically. The results indicate that complex wave-like interfacial distortions are possible for high-frequency pulsations and are more significant when the frequencies of the converging flows are related by and irrational ratio. (C) 2004 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.