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US 9,421,507 B2Granted
Micro-channels, micro-mixers and micro-reactors
AssigneeOregon State University
InventorRichard Todd Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid micro-mixer apparatus includes a plurality of first microchannels for receiving a first fluid and a plurality of second microchannels for receiving a second fluid. A mixing chamber flow path is disposed to receive the first and second fluids after the first and second fluids exit their respective output ports. The mixing chamber flow path can include a first mixing chamber in the vicinity of the respective output ports, and the mixing chamber flow path can separate into at least two different flow paths downstream from the first mixing chamber.
Claims24
A fluid micro-mixer apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of first microchannels comprising at least one input port and at least one output port, the first microchannels being configured to receive a first fluid;
- a plurality of second microchannels comprising at least one input port and at least one output port, the second microchannels being configured to receive a second fluid;
- and a first mixing chamber disposed to receive the first and second fluids after the first and second fluids exit their respective output ports, the first mixing chamber providing a flow path in a first direction, and
- at least two passages that extend from the first mixing chamber to separate a flow of the first and second fluids from the first mixing chamber into at least two different flow paths, the at least two passages extending from the first mixing chamber such that respective flows in the at least two passages are in a direction opposite that of the first direction.
1 more element
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of patterned laminae that are stacked so that adjacent patterned laminae define microchannels therebetween, wherein at least some of the microchannels comprise first outlet ports, the first outlet ports having a width in a direction that is generally parallel to a plane of an adjacent lamina and a height in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the plane of the adjacent lamina, and the width of the plurality of first outlet ports is greater than the height of the outlet ports;
- and
- a mixing flow path downstream of the first outlet ports, the mixing flow path having a first mixing section in which a fluid stream can flow in a first direction, a split section and one recombination section, wherein the split section is a section where the mixing section splits into at least two channels that define separate flow paths and the recombination section is a section where the at least two separate flow paths recombine into a single flow path, wherein the at least two channels extend from the mixing section in a second direction that is opposite that of the first direction to reverse a portion of the fluid stream passing through respective channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.