Lattice Boltzmann simulation of multiple droplets impingement and coalescence in an inkjet-printed line patterning process

Three-dimensional computations on the basis of the index-function lattice Boltzmann method are performed to simulate the process of multiple droplets impinging and coalescing into a line pattern on a solid substrate. The employed calculation model is validated by theoretical calculated values and experimental data from the literature. The influences of the equilibrium contact angle, droplet spacing and impinging velocity on the droplets impingement and coalescence behaviours are investigated. Numerical results demonstrate the width of the formed line depends significantly on the equilibrium contact angle and droplet spacing. The droplet spacing plays a significant role in controlling the coalescence moment of multiple droplets. The resolution of the printed pattern can be slightly increased with increase in impinging velocity.     

Lattice Boltzmann modeling of transport phenomena in fuel cells and flow batteries

Fuel cells and flow batteries are promising technologies to address climate change and air pollution problems. An understanding of the complex multiscale and multiphysics transport phenomena occurring in these electrochemical systems requires powerful numerical tools. Over the past decades, the lattice Boltzmann(LB) method has attracted broad interest in the computational fluid dynamics and the numerical heat transfer communities, primarily due to its kinetic nature making it appropriate for modeling complex multiphase transport phenomena. More importantly, the LB method fits well with parallel computing due to its locality feature, which is required for large-scale engineering applications. In this article, we review the LB method for gas–liquid two-phase flows, coupled fluid flow and mass transport in porous media, and particulate flows. Examples of applications are provided in fuel cells and flow batteries. Further developments of the LB method are also outlined.     

Analysis of reflective and non-reflective boundary conditions in LBM simulations of flow past an obstacle in a channel

This paper analyses the effects of considering non-reflective (characteristic boundary conditions) versus reflective boundary conditions (BCs) on the flow past a square object. We observe a clear dependence of the force exerted over the obstacle on the choice of BCs. Recirculation lengths, lift and drag coefficients, phase diagrams and streamlines for several angles of incidence are compared for a range of low Reynolds numbers (50–150) and two different values of the ratio of the object cross section to the channel width, 1/8 and 1/16. We remark distinct effects depending on the combination of BCs used at the inlet and at the outlet.     

Stress-strain analysis of conical shells with different boundary conditions and thickness varying in two directions at constant mass

A method developed for solving two-dimensional problems in the theory of conical shells is used to analyze the stress-strain state of shells with different boundary conditions and thickness varying in two directions at constant mass. Numerical results are given in the form of plots and tables __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 70–79, March 2006.