Comparative numerical study between OpenFOAM and ANSYS Fluent in a Y-junction microchannel

A numerical study in a microchannel is performed with two different numerical codes: ANSYS Fluent and Open-FOAM. Using the same inflow and boundary conditions, three main parameters are investigated: velocity magnitude, pressure and vorticity magnitude. The microchannel is fabricated using soft litography in PDMS and will be used for the validation of the numerical simulations. The results of the simulations are analyzed and a comparison between the numerical codes is made. By introducing the same mass flow rate in all the secondary microchannels the velocity and vorticity have reported similar results from the two numerical codes. However, a pressure difference is observed for the same velocity distribution. The aim of the paper is to test the capabilities of the two numerical codes in a simulation of the flow mixing in a microchannel.