Francois Gallaire
EPFL/STI/LFMI Lausanne, Switzerland

A depth-averaged model for droplet motion in thin microfluidic channels : from 3D to 1D

We propose a depth-averaged description accounting for the motion of deformable droplets in thin microchannels. The effect of the thin lubricating films and the resulting dynamic meniscus are lumped into effective boundary conditions. The resulting equations are solved thanks to a boundary element approach, resorting to a 1D discretization of the depth-averaged droplet interface. Droplet relaxation, droplet transport through a carrier fluid and droplet shedding in a flow focussing device are considered as well as more exotic microfluidic applications like droplet trapping under topography.