Simulations of Droplet Collisions in Shear Flow

Author(s):  
Orest Shardt ◽  
J. J. Derksen ◽  
Sushanta K. Mitra

When droplets collide in a shear flow, they may coalesce or remain separate after the collision. At low Reynolds numbers, droplets coalesce when the capillary number does not exceed a critical value. We present three-dimensional simulations of droplet coalescence in a simple shear flow. We use a free-energy lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and study the collision outcome as a function of the Reynolds and capillary numbers. We study the Reynolds number range from 0.2 to 1.4 and capillary numbers between 0.1 and 0.5. We determine the critical capillary number for the simulations (0.19) and find that it is does not depend on the Reynolds number. The simulations are compared with experiments on collisions between confined droplets in shear flow. The critical capillary number in the simulations is about a factor of 25 higher than the experimental value.

1995 ◽  
Vol 283 ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Nirschl ◽  
H. A. Dwyer ◽  
V. Denk

Three-dimensional solutions have been obtained for the steady simple shear flow over a spherical particle in the intermediate Reynolds number range 0.1 [les ] Re [les ] 100. The shear flow was generated by two walls which move at the same speed but in opposite directions, and the particle was located in the middle of the gap between the walls. The particle-wall interaction is treated by introducing a fully three-dimensional Chimera or overset grid scheme. The Chimera grid scheme allows each component of a flow to be accurately and efficiently treated. For low Reynolds numbers and without any wall influence we have verified the solution of Taylor (1932) for the shear around a rigid sphere. With increasing Reynolds numbers the angular velocity for zero moment for the sphere decreases with increasing Reynolds number. The influence of the wall has been quantified with the global particle surface characteristics such as net torque and Nusselt number. A detailed analysis of the influence of the wall distance and Reynolds number on the surface distributions of pressure, shear stress and heat transfer has also been carried out.


2008 ◽  
Vol 596 ◽  
pp. 413-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
PANDURANG M. KULKARNI ◽  
JEFFREY F. MORRIS

The pair trajectories of neutrally buoyant rigid spheres immersed in finite-inertia simple-shear flow are described. The trajectories are obtained using the lattice-Boltzmann method to solve the fluid motion, with Newtonian dynamics describing the sphere motions. The inertia is characterized by the shear-flow Reynolds number ${\it Re} \,{=}\,\rho\dot{\gamma}a^2/\mu$, where μ and ρ are the viscosity and density of the fluid respectively, $\dot{\gamma}$ is the shear rate and a is the radius of the larger of the pair of spheres in the case of unequal sizes; the majority of results presented are for pairs of equal radii. Reynolds numbers of 0 ≤ Re ≤ 1 are considered with a focus on inertia at Re = O(0.1). At finite inertia, the topology of the pair trajectories is altered from that predicted at Re = 0, as closed trajectories found in Stokes flow vanish and two new forms of trajectories are observed. These include spiralling and reversing trajectories in addition to largely undisturbed open trajectories. For Re = O(0.1), the limits of the various regions in pair space yielding open, reversing and spiralling trajectories are roughly defined.


2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 25-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
KANNAN N. PREMNATH ◽  
JOHN ABRAHAM

In this paper, three-dimensional computations of drop–drop interactions using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) are reported. The LBM multiphase flow model employed is evaluated for single drop problems and binary drop interactions. These include the verification of Laplace–Young relation for static drops, drop oscillations, and drop deformation and breakup in simple shear flow. The results are compared with experimental data, analytical solutions and numerical solutions based on other computational methods, as applicable. Satisfactory agreement is shown. Initial studies of drop–drop interactions involving the head-on collisions of drops in quiescent medium and off-center collision of drops in the presence of ambient shear flow are considered. As expected, coalescence outcome is observed for the range of parameters studied.


2013 ◽  
Vol 733 ◽  
pp. 171-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Espinosa-Gayosso ◽  
Marco Ghisalberti ◽  
Gregory N. Ivey ◽  
Nicole L. Jones

AbstractParticle capture, whereby suspended particles contact and adhere to a solid surface (a ‘collector’), is an important mechanism for a range of environmental processes including suspension feeding by corals and ‘filtering’ by aquatic vegetation. In this paper, we use two- and three-dimensional direct numerical simulations to quantify the capture efficiency ($\eta $) of low-inertia particles by a circular cylindrical collector at intermediate Reynolds numbers in the vortex-shedding regime (i.e. for $47\lt \mathit{Re}\leq 1000$, where $\mathit{Re}$ is the collector Reynolds number). We demonstrate that vortex shedding induces oscillations near the leading face of the collector which greatly affect the quantity and distribution of captured particles. Unlike in steady, low-$\mathit{Re}$ flow, particles directly upstream of the collector are not the most likely to be captured. Our results demonstrate the dependence of the time-averaged capture efficiency on $\mathit{Re}$ and particle size, improving the predictive capability for the capture of particles by aquatic collectors. The transition to theoretical high-Reynolds-number behaviour (i.e. $\eta \sim {\mathit{Re}}^{1/ 2} $) is complex due to comparatively rapid changes in wake conditions in this Reynolds number range.


2010 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
pp. 225-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. STEWART ◽  
M. C. THOMPSON ◽  
T. LEWEKE ◽  
K. HOURIGAN

A study investigating the flow around a cylinder rolling or sliding on a wall has been undertaken in two and three dimensions. The cylinder motion is specified from a set of five discrete rotation rates, ranging from prograde through to retrograde rolling. A Reynolds number range of 20–500 is considered. The effects of the nearby wall and the imposed body motion on the wake structure and dominant wake transitions have been determined. Prograde rolling is shown to destabilize the wake flow, while retrograde rotation delays the onset of unsteady flow to Reynolds numbers well above those observed for a cylinder in an unbounded flow.Two-dimensional simulations show the presence of two recirculation zones in the steady wake, the lengths of which increase approximately linearly with the Reynolds number. Values of the lift and drag coefficient are also reported for the steady flow regime. Results from a linear stability analysis show that the wake initially undergoes a regular bifurcation from a steady two-dimensional flow to a steady three-dimensional wake for all rotation rates. The critical Reynolds number Rec of transition and the spanwise wavelength of the dominant mode are shown to be highly dependent on, but smoothly varying with, the rotation rate of the cylinder. Varying the rotation from prograde to retrograde rolling acts to increase the value of Rec and decrease the preferred wavelength. The structure of the fully evolved wake mode is then established through three-dimensional simulations. In fact it is found that at Reynolds numbers only marginally (~5%) above critical, the three-dimensional simulations indicate that the saturated state becomes time dependent, although at least initially, this does not result in a significant change to the mode structure. It is only at higher Reynolds numbers that the wake undergoes a transition to vortex shedding.An analysis of the three-dimensional transition indicates that it is unlikely to be due to a centrifugal instability despite the superficial similarity to the flow over a backward-facing step, for which the transition mechanism has been speculated to be centrifugal. However, the attached elongated recirculation region and distribution of the spanwise perturbation vorticity field, and the similarity of these features with those of the flow through a partially blocked channel, suggest the possibility that the mechanism is elliptic in nature. Some analysis which supports this conjecture is undertaken.


2008 ◽  
Vol 601 ◽  
pp. 425-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOSES KHOR ◽  
JOHN SHERIDAN ◽  
MARK C. THOMPSON ◽  
KERRY HOURIGAN

Observations have been made of the time-mean velocity profile at midspan in the near-wake of circular cylinders at moderate Reynolds numbers between 600 and 4600, well beyond the Reynolds number of approximately 200 at which the wake becomes three-dimensional. The measured profiles are found to be represented quite accurately by a family of function profiles with known linear instability characteristics. The complex instability frequency is then determined as a function of wake position, using the function profiles. In general, the near wake undergoes a transition from convective to absolute instability; the distance downstream to the point of transition is found to increase over the Reynolds number range investigated. The emergence of a significant region of convective instability is consistent with the known appearance of Bloor–Gerrard vortices. The selected frequency of the wake instability is determined by the saddle-point criterion; the Strouhal numbers for Bénard–von Kármán vortex shedding are found to compare well with the values in the literature.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Biswas ◽  
M. Breuer ◽  
F. Durst

This paper is concerned with the behavior of flows over a backward-facing step geometry for various expansion ratios H/h=1.9423, 2.5 and 3.0. A literature survey was carried out and it was found that the flow shows a strong two-dimensional behavior, on the plane of symmetry, for Reynolds numbers ReD=ρUbD/μ below approximately 400 (Ub=bulk velocity and D=hydraulic diameter). In this Reynolds number range, two-dimensional predictions were carried out to provide information on the general integral properties of backward-facing step flows, on mean velocity distributions and streamlines. Information on characteristic flow patterns is provided for a wide Reynolds number range, 10−4⩽ReD⩽800. In the limiting case of ReD→0, a sequence of Moffatt eddies of decreasing size and intensity is verified to exist in the concave corner also at ReD=1. The irreversible pressure losses are determined for various Reynolds numbers as a function of the expansion ratio. The two-dimensional simulations are known to underpredict the primary reattachment length for Reynolds numbers beyond which the actual flow is observed to be three-dimensional. The spatial evolution of jet-like flows in both the streamwise and the spanwise direction and transition to three-dimensionality were studied at a Reynolds number ReD=648. This three-dimensional analysis with the same geometry and flow conditions as reported by Armaly et al. (1983) reveals the formation of wall jets at the side wall within the separating shear layer. The wall jets formed by the spanwise component of the velocity move towards the symmetry plane of the channel. A self-similar wall-jet profile emerges at different spanwise locations starting with the vicinity of the side wall. These results complement information on backward-facing step flows that is available in the literature.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mortazavi ◽  
Y. Afshar ◽  
H. Abbaspour

The motion of deformable drops suspended in a linear shear flow at nonzero Reynolds numbers is studied by numerical simulations in two dimensions. It is found that a deformable drop migrates toward the center of the channel in agreement with experimental findings at small Reynolds numbers. However, at relatively high Reynolds numbers (Re=80) and small deformation, the drop migrates to an equilibrium position off the centerline. Suspension of drops at a moderate areal fraction (φ=0.44) is studied by simulations of 36 drops. The flow is studied as a function of the Reynolds number and a shear thinning behavior is observed. The results for the normal stress difference show oscillations around a mean value at small Reynolds numbers, and it increases as the Reynolds number is raised. Simulations of drops at high areal fraction (φ=0.66) show that if the Capillary number is kept constant, the effective viscosity does not change in the range of considered Reynolds numbers (0.8–80). The normal stress difference is also a weak function of the Reynolds number. It is also found that similar to flows of granular materials, suspension of drops at finite Reynolds numbers shows the same trend for the density and fluctuation energy distribution across the channel.


2014 ◽  
Vol 749 ◽  
pp. 145-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Mao ◽  
Alexander Alexeev

AbstractIn this article, we investigate the motion of a solid spheroid particle in a simple shear flow. Using a lattice Boltzmann method, we examine individual effects of fluid inertia and particle rotary inertia as well as their combination on the dynamics and trajectory of spheroid particles at low and moderate Reynolds numbers. The motion of a single spheroid is shown to be dependent on the particle Reynolds number, particle aspect ratio, particle initial orientation and the Stokes number. Spheroids with random initial orientations are found to drift to stable orbits influenced by fluid inertia and/or particle inertia. Specifically, prolate spheroids drift towards the tumbling mode of motion, whereas oblate spheroids drift to the rolling mode. The rotation period and the variation of angular velocity of tumbling spheroids decrease as Stokes number increases. With increasing Reynolds number, both the maximum and minimum values of angular velocity decrease, whereas the particle rotation period increases. We show that particle inertia does not affect the hydrodynamic torque on the particle. We also demonstrate that superposition can be used to estimate the combined effect of fluid inertia and particle inertia on the dynamics of spheroid particles at sufficiently low Reynolds numbers.


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