Numerical Study of Droplet Formation and the Frequency of Droplet Generation in a Co-Flow Device

This research focuses on droplet formation in a co-flow capillary channel. The goal is to determine an optimal range for the ratio of continuous flow rate to the dispersed flow rate in order to reach a high frequency and optimum droplet size. Moreover, all the simulations were done on the dripping regime in order to produce monodispersed droplets. The frequency was calculated based on droplets size and dispersed flow rate. After considering all of the parameters, a continuous flow rate to a dispersed flow rate ratio of 6 to 9 was selected for the base geometry. At this range, droplets were produced at a high generation rate and desired size. The same simulation was run for another geometry to double-check the outcome, and similar results were obtained. This project was solved using ANSYS FLUENT and numerical study. The simulation was done with a two-dimensional geometry since the created droplets are symmetrical. For validation, the data were compared to a previously published study [1], and a minor inaccuracy was discovered.