Dissipative particle dynamics simulation of polymer drops in a periodic shear flow

The steady-state and transient shear flow dynamics of polymer drops in a microchannel are investigated using the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. The polymer drop is made up of 10% DPD solvent particles and 90% finite extensible non-linear elastic (FENE) bead spring chains, with each chain consisting of 16 beads. The channel’s upper and lower walls are made up of three layers of DPD particles, respectively, perpendicular to Z-axis, and moving in opposite directions to generate the shear flow field. Periodic boundary conditions are implemented in the X and Y directions. With FENE chains, shear thinning and normal stress difference effects are observed. The “colour” method is employed to model immiscible fluids according to Rothman–Keller method; the χ-parameters in Flory–Huggins-type models are also analysed accordingly. The interfacial tension is computed using the Irving–Kirkwood equation. For polymer drops in a steady-state shear field, the relationship between the deformation parameter (D_def) and the capillary number (Ca) can be delineated into a linear and nonlinear regime, in qualitative agreement with experimental results of Guido et al. [J. Rheol. 42 (2) (1998) 395]. In the present study, Ca<0.22, in the linear regime. As the shear rate increases further, the drop elongates; a sufficiently deformed drop will break up; and a possible coalescence may occur for two neighbouring drops. Dynamical equilibrium between break-up and coalescence results in a steady-state average droplet-size distribution. In a shear reversal flow, an elongated and oriented polymer drop retracts towards a roughly spherical shape, with a decrease in the first normal stress difference. The polymer drop is found to undergo a tumbling mode at high Schmidt numbers. A stress analysis shows that the stress response is different from that of a suspension of solid spheres. An overshoot in the strain is observed for the polymer drop under extension due to the memory of the FENE chains.     

微型管中液滴流动的三维数值模拟

对于微型设备中的低雷诺数流动，毛细力和黏性力起主导作用. 应用相场方法，引 入自由能泛函，研究了二相流体在微型管中流动问题及表面浸润现象，并给出了微型管中二 相流体的无量纲输运方程. 针对方形微管道，利用差分法给出了输运方程的数值求解方法. 最后，模拟了方形直管中的液滴流动和变形的过程，并给出了液滴前后压力差与其它主要物 理参数之间的变化关系. 结果表明，压力差随液滴半径增大而增加，而随毛细管系数的增大 而减小.     

Gravity-driven motion of a deformable drop or bubble near an inclined plane at low Reynolds number

The creeping motion of a three-dimensional deformable drop or bubble in the vicinity of an inclined wall is investigated by dynamical simulations using a boundary-integral method. We examine the transient and steady velocities, shapes, and positions of a freely-suspended, non-wetting drop moving due to gravity as a function of the drop-to-medium viscosity ratio, λ, the wall inclination angle from horizontal, θ, and Bond number, B, the latter which gives the relative magnitude of the buoyancy to capillary forces. For fixed λ and θ, drops and bubbles show increasingly pronounced deformation in steady motion with increasing Bond number, and a continued elongation and the possible onset of breakup are observed for sufficiently large Bond numbers. Unexpectedly, viscous drops maintain smaller separations and deform more than bubbles in steady motion at fixed Bond number over a large range of inclination angles. The steady velocities of drops (made dimensionless by the settling velocity of an isolated spherical drop) increase with increasing Bond number for intermediate-to-large inclination angles (i.e. 45° ? θ ? 75°). However, the steady drop velocity is not always an increasing function of Bond number for viscous drops at smaller inclination angles.     

The flow behavior of fiber suspensions in Newtonian fluids and polymer solutions.

This is the second part of a study examining the mechanical properties and capillary flow of fiber suspensions in Newtonian fluids and in polymer solutions. In part I results for the viscous and elastic properties of the fiber suspensions were presented and it was shown that the fiber suspensions exhibited normal stresses in Newtonian as well as in viscoelastic suspending media. It was thus expected that circulating secondary flows would occur near the entrance to a capillary. Four types of fillers (glass, carbon, nylon and vinylon fibers) suspended in glycerin, HEC solutions and Separan solutions were investigated. The entrance flow patterns were visualized and the pressure fluctuations measured. The visualization enabled the eddies occurring in the fiber suspensions in Newtonian fluids to be analysed and classified into two tpyes. The results from the flow visualization were correlated with the pressure fluctuations. Empirical equations for the tube length correction factor due to the elasticity were obtained.     

Deformation and breakup of viscoelastic drops in planar extensional flows

A computer-controlled four-roll mill was used to investigate the deformation and break-up of polymeric drops in the well-characterized flow of an immiscible Newtonian fluid. Aqueous polymer solutions ranging in concentration from 160 ppm to 3% by weight were examined. For zero-shear-rate viscosity ratios greater than order 1, the deformation of the drops closely followed that of Newtonian fluids, irrespective of the droplet material. However, drops with viscosity ratios less than order 1 had significantly smaller critical deformations and the critical capillary number was found to be substantially smaller. Two modes of drop break-up were discovered that differed substantially from that observed for Newtonian drops in the inclusion of cusped ends and tip streaming.     

Shear cell rupture of nematic liquid crystal droplets in viscous fluids

We model the hydrodynamics of a shear cell experiment with an immiscible nematic liquid crystal droplet in a viscous fluid using an energetic variational approach and phase-field methods [86]. The model includes the coupled system for the flow field for each phase, a phase-field function for the diffuse interface and the orientational director field of the liquid crystal phase. An efficient numerical scheme is implemented for the two-dimensional evolution of the shear cell experiment for this initial data. The same model reduces to an immiscible viscous droplet in a viscous fluid, which we simulate first to compare with other numerical and experimental behavior. Then we simulate drop deformation by varying capillary number (independent of liquid crystal physics), liquid crystal interfacial anchoring energy and Oseen–Frank distortional elastic energy. We show the number of eventual droplets (one to several) and “beads on a string” behavior are tunable with these three physical parameters. All stable droplets possess signature quadrupolar shear and normal stress distributions. The liquid crystal droplets always possess a global surface defect structure, called a boojum, when tangential surface anchoring is imposed. Boojums [79], [32] consist of degree +1/2 and ?1/2 surface defects within a bipolar global orientational structure.     

Coalescence of viscous drops translating through a capillary tube

An experimental study of the interaction and coalescence of viscous drops moving through a cylindrical capillary tube under low Reynolds number conditions is presented. The combined pressure- and buoyancy-driven motion of drops in a Newtonian continuous phase is examined. The interaction between two drops is quantified using image analysis, and measurements of the coalescence time are reported for various drop size ratios, Bond numbers, and viscosity ratios. The time scale for coalescence in the non-axisymmetric configuration is found to be substantially larger than that for coalescence in the axisymmetric configuration. Measurements of the radius of the liquid film formed between the two drops at the instant of apparent contact are used in conjunction with a planar film drainage model to predict the dependence of the coalescence time on drop size ratio for coalescence of low viscosity-ratio drops in the axisymmetric configuration.     

Influence of soluble surface-active substances on emulsification

A study is made of the influence of a film of soluble surface-active substance on the emulsification of drops of a viscous liquid in the field of an acoustic wave. The drops are in an ideal incompressible fluid. It is assumed that the drop radius is much less than the acoustic wavelength but much greater than the capillary radius. The motion of the drops is not taken into account.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 160–164, September–October, 1981.I thank V. A. Briskman for constant interest in the work.     

Flow of oil–water emulsions through a constricted capillary

The flow of oil-in-water emulsions through quartz micro-capillary tubes was analyzed experimentally. The capillaries were used as models of connecting pore-throats between adjacent pore body pairs in high-permeability media. Pressure drop between the inlet and outlet ends of the capillary was recorded as a function of time, for several values of the volumetric flow rate. Several distinct emulsions were prepared using synthetic oils in deionized water, stabilized by a surfactant (Triton X-100). Two oils of different viscosity values were used to prepare the emulsions, while two distinct drop size distributions were obtained by varying the mixing procedure. The average oil drop size varied from smaller to larger than the neck radius. The results are presented in terms of the extra-pressure drop due to the presence of the dispersed phase, i.e. the difference between the measured pressure drop and the one necessary to drive the continuous phase alone at the same flow rate. For emulsions with drops smaller than the capillary throat diameter, the extra-pressure drop does not vary with capillary number and it is a function of the viscosity ratio, dispersed phase concentration and drop size distribution. For emulsions with drops larger than the constriction, the large oil drops may partially block the capillary, leading to a high extra pressure difference at low capillary numbers. Changes in the local fluid mobility by means of pore-throat blockage may help to explain the additional oil recovery observed in laboratory experiments and the sparse data on field trials.     

Inertial effects on the flow of capsules in cylindrical channels

A front-tracking method was used to study moderate to large-sized capsules flowing in cylindrical channels at Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.1 to 225. Two different constitutive equations, the Neo-Hookean and Skalak laws were considered to describe the mechanics of the thin membrane. The effect of capsule size, elastic capillary number, and Reynolds number on the shape, migration velocity, and extra pressure loss were determined. The deformation of the capsules was strongly tied to the size of the capsule compared with the channel diameter with larger capsules deforming more due to the confining effect of the wall. As the Reynolds number was increased, capsules were more elongated in the direction of flow. The effect of Reynolds number was more apparent as the elastic capillary number was increased. Both the migration velocity and extra pressure loss were seen to depend primarily on the size of the capsule with deformation playing a secondary role. The Neo-Hookean membrane showed a larger deformation than the Skalak law due to its strain softening nature. The Neo-Hookean membrane also displayed a failure phenomenon of continuous deformation at large enough elastic capillary numbers not seen in the Skalak law membranes. This limiting elastic capillary number was shown to decrease as Reynolds number became larger. The membrane strain was largest at the front of the capsule indicating the most likely region where the capsule would fail.     

Two regimes of liquid film flow on a rotating cylinder

A steady flow of a thin film of a viscous incompressible liquid on a rotating cylinder (the cylinder axis is perpendicular to the direction of the force of gravity) is considered. Capillary effects are taken into account on the free surface. Thin-layer equations derived by Pukhnachov, which depend on the Galileo number and capillary number, are solved. If the first parameter equals zero, the force of gravity also equals zero. If the second parameter equals zero, the surface-tension coefficient also equals zero. The values of these parameters that ensure the solution existence and the number of solutions are determined by the method of collocations. One more solution corresponding to the drop-shaped free surface is found numerically. Variations of flow parameters caused by variations of the Galileo number and capillary number are considered. Branching of the solutions is examined numerically. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 68–78, January–February, 2007.     

Effect of concentration of vortices on streakline patterns

This investigation addresses simulation of flow visualization of vortical structures, accounting for both the circulation and the degree of concentration of vorticity of the vortices via the exact nonlinear solution of Stuart for an unsteady mixing layer. At a fixed value of circulation, an increased concentration of vorticity (which corresponds to decrease in the area containing most of the vorticity) actually spreads the visualization marker over an increased area of the flow. Moreover, different combinations of vorticity concentration and circulation give essentially the same flow patterns.     

A phenomenological model for wall effects on the deformation of an ellipsoidal drop in viscous flow

The simple phenomenological model developed by Maffettone and Minale (J Non-Newt Fluid Mech 78:227–241, 1998) for the deformation of a single ellipsoidal drop in a viscous flow is extended here to predict the drop deformation in confined viscous flows. The model is capable of describing the transient evolution of an ellipsoidal drop subjected to a generic flow field. The steady-state predictions are analytical and recover the theoretical limits of Shapira and Haber (Int J Multiph Flow 16:305–321, 1990) for steady small deformation of a drop in a confined simple shear flow. Model predictions are compared with data available in the literature that cover a wide range of parameter values, and the agreement is good.     

Plasticity aspects of interfacial fracture for polymer/glass specimens

Experimental results suggest that the interfacial fracture resistance is minimal for approximate near tip Mode I accompanied by positive and negative near tip Mode II. Finite-strain FE analysis is made for an elastic–plastic medium bonded to an ideally elastic medium with an interface crack. Small-scale plasticity conditions are invoked and examined in relation to the elastic–plastic stress distribution along the bond line. Plasticity engenders a tendency to turn near tip biaxiality towards pure Mode I regardless of the mixed-mode loading. High levels of hydrostatic stress are attained. For different mode mixities of the applied load, the dependence of the elastic–plastic normal bond stress on load level is examined. It is found that under positive Mode II loading, the normal bond stress σ_yy tends to saturate as the load level rises. This does not occur for Mode I and negative Mode II loading. In addition, deformation patterns inside the plastic zone are examined for mixed-mode situations. A displacement criterion based on the normal bond crack opening suggests a dependence of the critical load level on the extent of mixed mode. Under positive mode II fracture, traces of the ductile material are found at the top of the elastic substrate. Some of these conclusions appear to be consistent with the fracture patterns observed for LD-polyethylene/glass interfacial mixed-mode fracture.     

Low-Reynolds-number motion of a deformable drop between two parallel plane walls

The motion of a three-dimensional deformable drop between two parallel plane walls in a low-Reynolds-number Poiseuille flow is examined using a boundary-integral algorithm that employs the Green’s function for the domain between two infinite plane walls, which incorporates the wall effects without discretization of the walls. We have developed an economical calculation scheme that allows long-time dynamical simulations, so that both transient and steady-state shapes and velocities are obtained. Results are presented for neutrally buoyant drops having various viscosity, size, deformability, and channel position. For nearly spherical drops, the decrease in translational velocity relative to the undisturbed fluid velocity at the drop center increases with drop size, proximity of the drop to one or both walls, and drop-to-medium viscosity ratio. When deformable drops are initially placed off the centerline of flow, lateral migration towards the channel center is observed, where the drops obtain steady shapes and translational velocities for subcritical capillary numbers. With increasing capillary number, the drops become more deformed and have larger steady velocities due to larger drop-to-wall clearances. Non-monotonic behavior for the lateral migration velocities with increasing viscosity ratio is observed. Simulation results for large drops with non-deformed spherical diameters exceeding the channel height are also presented.     

A boundary integral method for two-dimensional (non)-Newtonian drops in slow viscous flow

A boundary integral method for the simulation of the time-dependent deformation of Newtonian or non-Newtonian drops suspended in a Newtonian fluid is developed. The boundary integral formulation for Stokes flow is used and the non-Newtonian stress is treated as a source term which yields an extra integral over the domain of the drop. The implementation of the boundary conditions is facilitated by rewriting the domain integral by means of the Gauss divergence theorem. To apply the divergence theorem smoothness assumptions are made concerning the non-Newtonian stress tensor. The correctness of these assumptions in actual simulations is checked with a numerical validation procedure. The method appears mathematically correct and the numerical algorithm is second order accurate. Besides this validation we present simulation results for a Newtonian drop and a drop consisting of an Oldroyd-B fluid. The results for Newtonian and non-Newtonian drops in two dimensions indicate that the steady state deformation is quite independent of the drop-fluid. The deformation process, however, appears to be strongly dependent on the drop-fluid. For the non-Newtonian drop a mechanical model is developed to describe the time-dependent deformation of the cylinder for small capillary numbers.     

Diffusional interaction of drops in a liquid

The method of combining asymptotic expansions (with respect to a large Peclet number) is used to investigate the three-dimensional problem of steady-state convective diffusion to the surface of drops, around which flows a laminar stream of a viscous incompressible liquid whose velocity field is assumed to be known from the solution of the corresponding hydrodynamic problem. It is shown that for large Peclet numbers the heat and mass transfer between drops is completely determined by the mutual arrangement of special (starting or ending at the surface of a drop) lines of flow; under these circumstances, in the flow there are chains of drops which have no mutual diffusional effect on one another, and the total diffusional flow to a drop is determined by diffusion to particles located upstream in the same chain. For the case where the distance between the drops in the chain is much leas than P^1/2 (P is the Peclet number), formulas for the distribution of the concentration and the total diffusional flow to the surface of each drop are obtained. It is shown that the total diffusional flow to the surface of a drop approaches zero in inverse proportion to its order number in a chain, which generalizes [1], in which the axisymmetric case is considered. A solution of the diffusional case is obtained for the case where there are critical lines at the surface of the drop. The problem is solved to the end if the singular flow lines are not closed and depart to infinity. With the presence of a region of closed circulation behind the drops, the problem is reduced to an integral equation.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika, Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 44–56, March–April, 1978.The author thanks Yu. P. Gupalo and Yu. S. Ryazantsev for their interest in the work.     

A 2D boundary element method for simulating the deformation of axisymmetric compound non‐Newtonian drops

The boundary integral formulation of the solution to the Stokes equations is used to describe the deformation of small compound non‐Newtonian axisymmetric drops suspended in a Newtonian fluid that is subjected to an axisymmetric flow field. The non‐Newtonian stress is treated as a source term in the Stokes equations, which yields an extra integral over the domains containing non‐Newtonian material. By transforming the integral representation for the velocity to cylindrical co‐ordinates and performing the integration over the azimuthal direction analytically, the dimension of the problem can be reduced from three to two. A boundary element method for the remaining two‐dimensional problem aimed at the simulation of the deformation of such axisymmetric compound non‐Newtonian drops is developed. Apart from a numerical validation of the method, simulation results for a drop consisting of an Oldroyd‐B fluid and a viscoelastic material are presented. Moreover, the method is extended to compound drops that are composed of a viscous inner core encapsulated by a viscoelastic material. The simulation results for these drops are verified against theoretical results from literature. Moreover, it is shown that the method can be used to identify the dominant break‐up mechanism of compound drops in relation to the specific non‐Newtonian character of the membrane. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of liquid–liquid drop coalescence using tomographic PIV

High-speed tomographic PIV was used to investigate the coalescence of drops placed on a liquid/liquid interface; the coalescence of a single drop and of a drop in the presence of an adjacent drop (side-by-side drops) was investigated. The viscosity ratio between the drop and surrounding fluids was 0.14, the Ohnesorge number (Oh = μ_d/(ρ_dσD)^1/2) was 0.011, and Bond numbers (Bo = (ρ _d  − ρ _s )gD ²/σ) were 3.1–7.5. Evolving volumetric velocity fields of the full coalescence process allowed for quantification of the velocity scales occurring over different time scales. For both single and side-by-side drops, the coalescence initiates with an off-axis film rupture and film retraction speeds an order of magnitude larger than the collapse speed of the drop fluid. This is followed by the formation and propagation of an outward surface wave along the coalescing interface with wavelength of approximately 2D. For side-by-side drops, the collapse of the first drop is asymmetric due to the presence of the second drop and associated interface deformation. Overall, tomographic PIV provides insight into the flow physics and inherent three-dimensionalities in the coalescence process that would not be achievable with flow visualization or planar PIV only.