Microfluidic experiment of liquid flow characteristics in reticulated channels

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The intricate dynamics of fluid flow within micro-reticulated channels pose significant challenges in predicting and optimizing transport phenomena. This study employs a microfluidic platform integrated with high-speed imaging to systematically investigate steady-state flow, gas–liquid displacement, and droplet adhesion behaviors in micro-mesh channels. Key findings reveal distinct viscosity-dependent mechanisms. Low-viscosity fluids such as water preferentially follow paths of minimal resistance, forming persistent elongated bubbles that impede flow uniformity, while high-viscosity oils exhibit gradual bubble expulsion and stable channel filling. Air displacement efficiency remains limited, yielding residual oil rates of 24.1%–44.4%, whereas aqueous displacement achieves superior efficiency (14.2%–20.5% residual oil), governed by interfacial tension and wettability. Droplet adhesion dynamics further highlight viscosity-driven behaviors—low-viscosity droplets maintain stable flow paths, whereas high-viscosity castor oil undergoes cyclic spreading, necking, and regeneration due to viscoelastic stress gradients. Dimensionless analysis underscores capillary-viscous competition, with capillary numbers below 0.01 indicating surface tension dominance and Reynolds numbers confirming viscous-controlled laminar regimes. These insights advance fundamental understanding of microscale multiphase flow and provide actionable strategies for enhancing engineering applications such as oil recovery and microfluidic device design.