Published in

Elsevier, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 1(57), p. 421-428

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2012.10.023

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Collision dynamics and mixing of unequal-size droplets

Journal article published in 2013 by Dong Liu, Peng Zhang ORCID, Chung K. Law, Yincheng Guo
This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Postprint: archiving forbidden
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

A computational study based on a front tracking method was conducted by solving an unsteady, axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equation to investigate the mixing efficiency between two colliding droplets subsequent to their merging. Results show that, for droplets of sufficiently dissimilar sizes, the smaller droplet would transform into a mushroom-shaped jet that penetrates into the interior of the larger droplet, and hence greatly facilitates mixing. The jet acquires its energy from the surface energy of the colliding interfaces that are eliminated upon merging. For droplets of similar sizes, jet formation is not favored due to symmetry, and the eliminated surface energy is rapidly dissipated through viscous action of the droplet internal motion. The results qualitatively agree well with previous experimental observations. ; Department of Mechanical Engineering