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Simulation on Thermocapillary-Driven Drop Coalescence by Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Method

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Abstract

A hybrid two-phase model, incorporating lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and finite difference method (FDM), was developed to investigate the coalescence of two drops during their thermocapillary migration. The lattice Boltzmann method with a multi-relaxation-time (MRT) collision model was applied to solve the flow field for incompressible binary fluids, and the method was implemented in an axisymmetric form. The deformation of the drop interface was captured with the phase-field theory, and the continuum surface force model (CSF) was adopted to introduce the surface tension, which depends on the temperature. Both phase-field equation and the energy equation were solved with the finite difference method. The effects of Marangoni number and Capillary numbers on the drop’s motion and coalescence were investigated.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported financially by Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11572062), Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (No IRT13043) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. CDJZR13248801). Zeng would like to thank the support of Key Laboratory of Functional Crystals and Laser Technology, TIPC, CAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Mechanics, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, People’s Republic of China

    Haiqiong Xie, Zhong Zeng & Liangqi Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, People’s Republic of China

    Zhong Zeng

  3. Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan

    Zhong Zeng, Yuui Yokota & Akira Yoshikawa

  4. New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan

    Yoshiyuki Kawazoe

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  1. Haiqiong Xie
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Correspondence to Zhong Zeng.

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Xie, H., Zeng, Z., Zhang, L. et al. Simulation on Thermocapillary-Driven Drop Coalescence by Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Method. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 28, 67–77 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9483-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-015-9483-4

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