Project Description
Many applications of drop-based microfluidics have been explored in recent years, ranging from drug targeting to micro-chemical reactors. Understanding the physics of drop motion in microchannels is key to provide insights when designing such applications. This project investigates fundamental aspects of the behavior of droplets in microchannels via computational simulations. The main goal of the project is to investigate the shape of droplets trapped in channel bifurcations, including characterizing the drop shape and inner flow patterns. The student will be working with a boundary-integral algorithm developed in the group and coded in FORTRAN. A possible application of these results is to aid the design of microreactors, where the internal mixing inside the drop can play an important role. If the student wishes to also do experiments, we have an apparatus to create videos of drop motion and shapes in a channel with and without bifurcations.
Special Requirements
It is preferred that the student has taken a course on fluid mechanics and is familiar with basic data visualization and programming.
Contact
- Robert Davis (faculty)
- Gesse Roure (graduate student)