Bifurcating mixers and methods of their use and manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10688456-B2
Application number	US-201816102518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2018
Priority date	Jan 6, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein are fluidic mixers having bifurcated fluidic flow through toroidal mixing elements. The mixers operate, at least partially, by Dean vortexing. Accordingly, the mixers are referred to as Dean Vortex Bifurcating Mixers (“DVBM”). The DVBM utilize Dean vortexing and asymmetric bifurcation of the fluidic channels that form the mixers to achieve the goal of optimized microfluidic mixing. The disclosed DVBM mixers can be incorporated into any fluidic (e.g., microfluidic) device known to those of skill in the art where mixing two or more fluids is desired. The disclosed mixers can be combined with any fluidic elements known to those of skill in the art, including syringes, pumps, inlets, outlets, non-DVBM mixers, heaters, assays, detectors, and the like.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A mixer configured to mix at least a first liquid and a second liquid, the mixer comprising an inlet channel leading into a plurality of toroidal mixing elements arranged in series, wherein the plurality of toroidal mixing elements includes a first toroidal mixing element downstream of the inlet channel, and a second toroidal mixing element in fluidic communication with the first toroidal mixing element via a first neck region, wherein the first toroidal mixing element defines a first neck angle of 90 to 150 degrees between a center of the inlet channel and a center of the first neck region, and wherein the first toroidal mixing element and the second toroidal mixing element are fixed with respect to the mixer.

2. The mixer according to claim 1 , wherein the second toroidal mixing element defines a second neck angle of 90 to 150 degrees between the center of the first neck region and a center of a second neck region extending downstream of the second toroidal mixing element.

3. The mixer according to claim 2 , wherein the first neck angle differs from the second neck angle.

4. The mixer according to claim 1 , wherein the first toroidal mixing element has a first leg having a first impedance and a second leg having a second impedance, wherein the first impedance differs from the second impedance.

5. The mixer according to claim 4 , wherein a first ratio of the first impedance to the second impedance is about is about 1:1 to about 10:1.

6. The mixer according to claim 4 , wherein the first leg has a first length and the second leg has a second length that differs from the first length.

7. The mixer according to claim 4 , wherein the first leg has a first cross section and the second leg has a second cross section that differs from the first cross section.

8. The mixer according to claim 4 , wherein the second toroidal mixing element has a third leg having a third impedance and a fourth leg having a fourth impedance, wherein the third impedance differs from the fourth impedance.

9. The mixer according to claim 8 , wherein the first leg and the fourth leg are located on a first side of the mixer and the second leg and the third leg are located on a second side of the mixer, wherein the first impedance equals the third impedance, and the second impedance equals the fourth impedance.

10. The mixer according to claim 8 , wherein the first leg and the fourth leg are located on a first side of the mixer and the second leg and the third leg are located on a second side of the mixer, wherein a first ratio of the first impedance to the second impedance is equal to a second ratio of the third impedance to the fourth impedance.

11. The mixer according to claim 1 , wherein the first toroidal mixing element has a first radius and the second toroidal mixing element has a second radius that differs from the first radius.

12. The mixer according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first toroidal mixing element or the second toroidal mixing element has a variable radius.

13. A mixer configured to mix a first liquid and a second liquid, comprising:
a first toroidal mixing element having an inlet channel leading into a first leg having a first impedance and a second leg having a second impedance, the first leg and the second leg defining a first toroid and leading into a neck region; and
a second toroidal mixing element having a third leg and a fourth leg that lead from the neck region, the third leg and the fourth leg defining a second toroid and leading into an outlet channel, wherein the third leg has a third impedance and the fourth leg has a fourth impedance that differs from the third impedance,
wherein the first leg and the third leg are located on a first side of the mixer and the second leg and the fourth leg are located on a second side of the mixer, a first ratio of the first impedance to the second impedance differs from a second ratio of the third impedance to the fourth impedance, and the first toroid and the second toroid are fixed with respect to the mixer.

14. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein the first ratio is about 1:1 to about 10:1.

15. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein the first leg has a first length and the second leg has a second length that differs from the first length.

16. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein the first ratio is an inverse of the second ratio.

17. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein the first leg has a first cross section and the second leg has a second cross section that differs from the first cross section.

18. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein the first impedance equals the fourth impedance, and the second impedance equals the third impedance.

19. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first toroidal mixing element or the second toroidal mixing element has a variable radius.

20. The mixer according to claim 13 , wherein the first toroidal mixing element has a first radius and the second toroidal mixing element has a second radius that differs from the first radius.

Assignees

• Univ British Columbia

Inventors

• Wild Andre
• Leaver Timothy
• Taylor Robert James

Classifications

• B01F25/4338

  Mixers with a succession of converging-diverging cross-sections, i.e. undulating cross-section · CPC title

• B01F25/43172

  Profiles, pillars, chevrons, i.e. long elements having a polygonal cross-section · CPC title

• B01F33/30 Primary

  Micromixers · CPC title

• B01F25/43231 Primary

  the channels or tubes crossing each other several times · CPC title

• B01F25/433

  Mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences the mixing, e.g. mixing tubes with varying cross-section or provided with inwardly extending profiles · CPC title