Abstract: Fractal networks are widely applied in the field of heat and mass transfer. As one of the important parts of the fractal network, Y-shaped structure definitely has a significant impact on the performance of the whole network. In this paper, the analytical relationship between Y-shaped microchannel geometry and its capillary flow time is established through theoretical analysis with mass continuity equation and Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations. The result reveals that the capillary flow time increases with the increase of the topology length and bifurcation angle of the Y-shaped microchannel, but decreases with the increase of the channel width.

Key words: Y-shaped microchannel| fractal network| capillary flow

摘要： Fractal networks are widely applied in the field of heat and mass transfer. As one of the important parts of the fractal network, Y-shaped structure definitely has a significant impact on the performance of the whole network. In this paper, the analytical relationship between Y-shaped microchannel geometry and its capillary flow time is established through theoretical analysis with mass continuity equation and Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations. The result reveals that the capillary flow time increases with the increase of the topology length and bifurcation angle of the Y-shaped microchannel, but decreases with the increase of the channel width.

关键词: Y-shaped microchannel| fractal network| capillary flow