Parallelized edge-based droplet generation (EDGE) devices.
We here report on three parallelized designs of the new edge-based droplet generation mechanism, which, unlike existing mechanisms, produces many equally sized droplets simultaneously at a single droplet formation unit. Operation of the scaled-out systems is straight forward; only the oil inlet pressure has to be controlled to let all the units produce oil droplets, given certain basic design constraints. For systems with a typical nozzle depth of 1.2 microm, the mean droplet diameter is 7.5 microm and the coefficient of variation is below 10%. The number of droplets that is formed per unit can easily be increased by increasing the length of the unit. The stable pressure range in which monodisperse droplets are formed can be extended by small adjustments to the design. Overall, the EDGE devices are simple in design and robust in use, making them suitable for massive outscaling.
van Dijke
Koen
K
Food Process Engineering Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Veldhuis
Gert
G
Schroën
Karin
K
Boom
Remko
R
D004867:Equipment Design; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011312:Pressure
D009821:Oils