In this work, droplet–droplet interaction is modelled using a multi-scale approach which couples multiphase flow simulation using a volume of fluid method to a surface thin film model operating on the sub-grid scale. The volume of fluid model is based on a multiple marker method with a smoothed surface tension calculation, and a thin film model is derived to simulate film drainage using a Reynolds equation approach. A novel method of coupling the two allows for the prediction of coalescence or rebound of colliding droplets essentially from first principles, relying only on a critical film thickness parameter. The model is implemented using the open source tool set OpenFOAM and tested against experimental results of colliding hydrocarbon droplets from the literature. It is found to produce accurate interface deformation results for the duration of the collision, and to consistently predict the outcome of the collision process.
Reference:
Musehane, N.M., Oxtoby, O.F. and Reddy, B.D. 2018. Multi-scale simulation of droplet–droplet interaction and coalescence. Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 373: 924-939
Musehane, N. M., Oxtoby, O. F., & Reddy, B. (2018). Multi-scale simulation of droplet–droplet interaction and coalescence. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/10395
Musehane, Ndivhuwo M, Oliver F Oxtoby, and BD Reddy "Multi-scale simulation of droplet–droplet interaction and coalescence." (2018) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/10395
Musehane NM, Oxtoby OF, Reddy B. Multi-scale simulation of droplet–droplet interaction and coalescence. 2018; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/10395.
Copyright: 2018 Elsevier. Due to copyright restrictions, the attached PDF file contains the pre-print version of the published item. For access to the published version, please consult the publisher's website.