Lattice Boltzmann simulations of three-dimensional single droplet deformation and breakup under simple shear flow

Abstract

We present three-dimensional numerical simulations of the classical Taylor experiment on droplet deformation within a shear flow. We have used the promising lattice Boltzmann method numerical scheme to simulate single droplet deformation and breakup under simple shear flow. We first compute the deformation of the droplet, and find excellent agreement with the theoretical prediction. We have used the same method to simulate the shear and breakup for larger values of the shear rate. We find that the lattice Boltzmann method used in conjunction with the interface force model of Shan and Chen [Phys. Rev. E 47, 1815 (1993); 49, 2941 (1994)] results in an excellent treatment of the entire process from small deformation to breakup into multiple droplets. Our results could be extended to study the rheology of dispersed droplets and the dynamics of droplet breakup and coalescence in shear flow.