Investigation to the reciprocative thermal cycling of multiphase reactor train

Abstract

The design and technique for creating a multiphase reactor train were presented.

Formation of the reactor train involved a sequential dispensing of the fluid in

immiscible-liquid liquid system. Each reactor was represented by mixture of water

soluble dyes and segmented by a mineral oil column. The chip was fabricated by laser

cutting process and subsequent thermal bonding of the acrylic sheets, and the

generation of the reactor train was clearly demonstrated. Microfluidics of the

reciprocating reactor train in the micro glass capillary was also investigated. Studies

showed that the parabolic shaped reactor flow profile was dispersed when subjected to

a higher velocity in a pressure-driven flow. The relationship between the inner

diameter of the three glass capillaries and flow velocity inside the glass capillary were

also investigated. As the reactor train could only reciprocate at a slow velocity in the

glass capillary for thermal cycling, a relatively long cycle time would be required.

Therefore, instead of reciprocating the reactor train, the heat source was moved

reciprocatively and results showed that rapid thermally cycling could be achieved.