Liquid Films

 

Introduction

 

Liquid films are important in many industrial applications, but also from a fundamental point of view, they are important two-phase flow systems. In this study, we developed a sharp interface/level set method for the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of liquid films with large interfacial deformations, and large density ratio between the liquid and the gas phase.

We use our approach to study the dynamics of 2D and 3D liquid films. We also study interfacial heat/mass transfer to better understand and develop models useful to energy-related processes. Our main contribution was to demonstrate the importance of simulating the fully coupled liquid/gas system to obtain accurate interfacial transfer processes. 

 

Direct Numerical Simulation of Liquid Films

With S. Banerjee and X.D. Liu

 

 

[Click on the pictures below for movies in DIVX format]

 

Onset of 3D (Gravity to the right) - Vertically falling liquid film – Re=30

 

 

V-shape characteristic waves - 75 degrees inclination – Re=8

 

 

Turbulent falling liquid film @ 15 degrees inclination – Re=1100 (Re+ = 170)

 

Closer look at the liquid-side streaky structures (iso-contours of helicity):

 Side view (bottom is the wall / top is the liquid-gas interface)

 

 Perspective view

 

 

 

2D Vertically Falling Liquid Films

 

Re= 70 – We= 0.28 (gravity to the left)

 

 

Liquid and gas phase are fully resolved: instantaneous streamlines

MATLAB Handle Graphics Note the recirculation zone (and stagnation points A/B) in the gas

 

 

 

 

 

Relevant Publications:

 

D. Burch, J.C. Nave, G. Haller, “Unsteady Flow Separation on Slip Boundaries”, (in preparation preprint available) [ask for preprint]

 

J.C. Nave, S. Banerjee, X.D. Liu, “A Method for the Direct Numerical Simulation of Liquid Films with Large Interfacial Deformation”, J. Comp. Phys. (submitted) PDF

 

J.C. Nave, S. Banerjee, X.D. Liu, “A Calculational Methodology for High Schmidt Number Interfacial Mass Transfer”, (in preparation preprint available)

 

S. Banerjee, V. Badalassi, V. Dwivedi, J.-C. Nave, D. Hall, “The Direct Numerical Simulation of Two-Phase Flows with Interface Capturing Methods”, La Houille Blanche, (2005) PDF

 

J.C. Nave, S. Banerjee, “Direct Numerical Simulation of Wavy Falling Liquid Films”, 5th International Conference on Multiphase Flow, ICMF'04 PDF

 

J.C. Nave, “Direct Numerical Simulation of Liquid Films”, UCSB Thesis (2004) PDF

 

S. Smolentsev, N. B. Morley, B. Freeze, R. Miraghaie, J.-C. Nave, S. Banerjee, A. Ying, M. Abdou, “Thermofluid Modeling and Experiments for Free Surface Flows of Low-Conductivity Fluid in Fusion Systems”, Fusion Engineering and Design, (2004) [email me for reprint]

 

 

 

 

Last Modified by Jean-Christophe Nave - December 2008