Title: Modelling of droplet interaction in convective gas flows

Authors: Y. Srinivas, E. Gutheil

Addresses: Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 368, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. ' Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 368, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Abstract: This paper concerns the modelling of the interaction of droplets in a convective gas flow. In spray computations, typically, the interaction of droplets during heating, vaporisation, ignition, and combustion is neglected. This approximation has been found to be poor since neighbouring droplets constitute an energy sink and a fuel source for the gas surrounding the droplets. Therefore, an effort needs to be made to relax this simplification. The present paper presents preliminary results of the interaction of two spheres in a convective flow field where the emphasis lies on the gas-phase effects. The computations show that the characteristics of the gas flow changes substantially as the separation distance between the two spheres changes. Under conditions for which steady axi-symmetric flow exists over a single sphere, the flow is completely asymmetric when there is hydrodynamic interaction with another sphere. Also there is repulsion between the droplets at small separation distances. The present three-dimensional study will be extended to the case of combusting, interacting droplets so that a general model will be available for use in spray combustion systems.

Keywords: droplet interaction; modelling and simulation; laminar flow; liquid-gas interface; FASTEST-3D.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2004.004093

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2004 Vol.4 No.3/4/5, pp.250 - 256

Published online: 10 May 2004 *

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