A finite-volume framework to solve the Fokker–Planck equation for fiber orientation kinetics

Abstract

In this work, a new solver, FPSolve, is developed to study fiber orientation kinetics using the Fokker–Planck (FP) equation. The solver employs the finite-volume method. The FP equation is discretized on unstructured cubed-sphere grids using the centered differencing scheme (CDS) or a blend of the CDS and the upwind differencing scheme. Time integration is performed using a second-order two-stage explicit Runge–Kutta scheme. Different shape factors and rotational diffusion coefficients are implemented to study suspensions in dilute to semiconcentrated regimes. The verification of the solver is performed for the fiber orientation in simple shear flow up to a Peclet number of 105. Grid independence analysis is presented to show the second-order accuracy of FPSolve. It is demonstrated that the solver does not need stabilization by upwinding. Simulations for semiconcentrated suspensions are performed using the model of Ferec et al. (2014). Time-accurate solutions of the FP equation with explicit time stepping for this model are presented for the first time.