3D numerical study of large-scale two-phase flows with contact lines and application to drop detachment from a horizontal fiber

Abstract

One fundamental problem in understanding two-phase flows in coalescers is determining how large of a drop can attach to and subsequently remain on a fiber. Droplet detachment can be caused by gravity or shear from the cross-flow overcoming the adhesion between the drop and the fiber. Previous studies have found the critical size of a drop on a hydrophilic fiber under gravity and the critical size of a drop on a hydrophobic fiber. In this paper, we present an accurate, conservative, and robust numerical strategy to simulate large-scale two-phase flows in complex geometries, and validate the capability of the proposed approach to predict the critical size of a drop on a cylindrical hydrophilic fiber under gravity and on a hydrophobic fiber without gravity. Then, an exploratory study of the critical size of a drop on a cylindrical fiber with cross-flow is performed.