Abstract
We have found that, in an asymmetric microchannel with deep and shallow lanes, liquid flow in the deep lane and gas flow in the shallow lane spontaneously crosses each other. We have named it "gas-liquid crossing flow". Capillary force to drive the liquid phase into the shallow lane with higher surface to volume ratio is the main cause for the crossing flow. Flows become turbulent at the crossing point and settles down downstream. Therefore effective gas-liquid mixing and separation could be realized with the crossing flow. In the present study, we optimized conditions for the gas-liquid crossing flow formation and also applied the technique developed here to an ammonia gas analysis system. Copyright © 2005 by the Transducer Research Foundation, Inc.