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ISSN Online: 2688-7231

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-478-6

Proceedings of the 24th National and 2nd International ISHMT-ASTFE Heat and Mass Transfer Conference (IHMTC-2017)
December, 27-30, 2017, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, India

DYNAMIC MODE DECOMPOSITION OF UNSTABLE MICRO-FLOWS

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHMTC-2017.940
pages 669-676

Abstract

We present an experimental investigation of spatio-temporal coherent structures that describe the dynamics of electrokinetic instability with orthogonal conductivity gradient and electric field. Electrokinetic instability was visualized in a cross-shaped microchannel using time-resolved snapshots of a passive fluorescent tracer in the flow. Thereafter the experimental data were post-processed with dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) technique to identify the coherent structures in the flow. Our analysis yields spatial variation of instability modes along with their corresponding temporal frequencies. By sequentially increasing the electric field in the experiments, we have obtained the coherent structures for the onset of instability, appearance of higher harmonics, period-doubling bifurcations. At the onset of instability, the electrokinetic flow is characterized by a transverse mode of instability. Higher harmonics appears in the flow at higher electric field. Further increase in electric field leads to perioddoubling bifurcations and eventually chaotic flow. The coherent structures of different flow regimes provide valuable insight into the dynamics, spatio-temporal scales, and the physical mechanism of electrokinetic instability.