Pinch off and reconnection in liquid/liquid flows: joint experimental and numerical studies
Liquid/liquid systems appear in applications involving transport, mixing, and separation of petroleum, chemical, and waste products. Breakup and coalescence transitions often determine flow regimes as well as reaction and separation rates. Because they occur over very small time and length scales compared with the larger scales that dominate the flow, they are difficult to quantify experimentally and simulate numerically. Thus far, no accurate models exist for engineers to predict these flows. Experiments and computations were performed so that accurate engineering models can be developed. Jet pinch off and drop coalescence were examined in mixtures of water/glycerin and silicone oil. Index matching, laser sheet illumination, and the PIV method were applied to obtain visualization and velocity field sequences through transitions. The computations used a novel, physically-based method that captures interface breakup and coalescence automatically without resorting to ad-hoc cut-and-connect methods. To achieve enhanced accuracy near transitions, new adaptive time and space meshes were developed. The computations were validated through direct comparison with the experiments. The detailed results should lead to improved understanding of transition behavior. This understanding is needed to develop engineering models of multiphase flows. Such predictive models will lead to extensive cost savings in device and process design.
- Research Organization:
- Ellen Longmire, University of Minnesota
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE - Office of Energy Research (ER)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-98ER14869
- OSTI ID:
- 850315
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-ER14869-3; TRN: US200707%%235
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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