Author(s)

G. Rocco, G. Coppola & L. de Luca

Abstract

Numerical simulations of a two-dimensional gravitational liquid sheet injected in another immiscible fluid are performed. The steady state of the liquid sheet has been calculated by solving the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for variable density incompressible flows and the interface between the two fluids has been determined by using the Volume of Fluids method . The analysis takes into account viscous, inertial, gravitational and surface tension forces and different regimes of motion are identified according to the values of Reynolds and Stokes numbers. Velocity, pressure and shape of the sheet are investigated and the results are in well agreement with previous numerical and experimental results. Keywords: VOF method, liquid jet, die-swell effect. 1 Introduction The numerical simulation of free surface flows represents a very hard challenge due to the complex physical phenomena involved in the liquid-gas or liquidliquid interface dynamics, such as changes in topology (coalescence, break-up), instability, surface tension effects. A variety of engineering applications, concerning atomization, drops impact and liquid jets dynamics have motivated much research on this topic. In particular, laminar liquid jets injected from a rectangular slot (liquid sheets) in an immiscible fluid have been studied extensively in the last years.

Keywords

VOF method, liquid jet, die-swell effect