Diffuse interface simulation of ternary fluids in contact with solid

Abstract

In this article we developed a geometrical wetting condition for diffuse-interface simulation of ternary fluid flows with moving contact lines. The wettability of the substrate in the presence of ternary fluid flows is represented by multiple contact angles, corresponding to the different material properties between the respective fluid and the substrate. Displacement of ternary fluid flows on the substrate leads to the occurrence of moving contact point, at which three moving contact lines meet. We proposed a weighted contact angle model, to replace the jump in contact angle at the contact point by a relatively smooth transition of contact angle over a region of 'diffuse contact point' of finite size. Based on this model, we extended the geometrical formulation of wetting condition for two-phase flows with moving contact lines to ternary flows with moving contact lines. Combining this wetting condition, a Navier-Stokes solver and a ternary-fluid model, we simulated two-dimensional spreading of a compound droplet on a substrate, and validated the numerical results of the drop shape at equilibrium by comparing against the analytical solution. We also checked the convergence rate of the simulation by investigating the axisymmetric drop spreading in a capillary tube. Finally, we applied the model to a variety of applications of practical importance, including impact of a circular cylinder into a pool of two layers of different fluids and sliding of a three-dimensional compound droplet in shear flows.