Rapid and efficient mixing in low Reynolds number microfluidic systems via short-distance flow through an electrospun nanofiber mat: A computational analysis

Abstract

This report presents the development of a comprehensive method by which electrospun nanofibers and their mixing effects may be modeled with a combination of custom scripts and ANSYS 14.0 software. A customizable and entirely automated workflow is realized, through which accurate models and results may be generated without requiring in-depth understanding of the underlying computational fluid dynamics principles. The automation process spans all simulation phases, starting with realistic fiber modeling via a custom script and followed by input specifications, automatic generation of the necessary geometry, export of the resulting computational mesh into ANSYS Fluent, control of computational solvers governing fluid flow and species mixing models, and ending with the automation of ANSYS CFD-Post to output solution data. This method is presented in a step-by-step manner through a case study of a Y-shaped microfluidic channel with an embedded electrospun nanofiber mat, the mixing performance of which is determined in this report's conclusion.