Lattice Boltzmann Simulations of Droplet Formation in a Co-Flowing Microchannel

Droplet formation in a co-flowing microfluidic device is investigated with the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). This LBM code was validated with two benchmarks such as Poiseuille flow through a straight duct and Taylor deformation on droplets between two shearing plates. A comparison of experimental droplet formation in a microchannel (Cramer et al, 2004) showed good quantitative agreement with our modeling results. With this code, a large number of simulations were carried out with various inlet flow rate ratios at various Re and various interfacial tensions in the co-flowing microfluidic system. All resulting droplet sizes are discussed quantitatively with the nondimensional parameters, which is helpful for droplet control in different co-flowing devices.