Three-Dimensional Chaotic Mixing of Fluids in a Cylindrical Cavity

Abstract

Three-dimensional chaotic mixing of Newtonian fluids in a previously uninvestigated cylindrical cavity was studied both experimentally and numerically for creeping flow conditions. Such mixing processes have practical application to the blending of viscous fluids, biological suspensions, or can be used as test beds to study waterborne pollutant formation. A mixing chamber was fabricated which consisted of a cylindrical glass cavity with independently rotating upper and lower circular disks. Fluid motion was revealed by digitizing successive video images of a small neutrally buoyant sphere placed into the mixing cavity and also by photographing dyed blobs. Experimental particle tracking studies were supplemented by numerical simulations. Phase-space trajectories, return maps, and Lyapunov exponents were used to characterize the mixing process and to confirm chaotic behavior.