Numerical simulation of steady flow past a liquid sphere immersed in simple shear flow at low and moderate Re

This work presents a numerical investigation on steady internal, external and surface flows of a liquid sphere immersed in a simple shear flow at low and intermediate Reynolds numbers. The control volume formulation is adopted to solve the governing equations of two-phase flow in a 3-D spherical coordinate system. Numerical results show that the streamlines for Re = 0 are closed Jeffery orbits on the surface of the liquid sphere, and also closed curves outside and inside the liquid sphere. However, the streamlines have intricate and non-closed structures for Re ≠ 0. The flow structure is dependent on the values of Reynolds number and interior-to-exterior viscosity ratio.

The streamlines inside and outside a droplet in simple shear flow are closed in 2-D for Re = 0. However, numerical results show that the internal and external flow fields of dispersed phase particles would display special flow structures in simple shear flow at intermediate Re. Different from the case for uniform or extensional flow at intermediate Re, the streamlines are spiraling patterns in 2-D both inside and outside the droplet. One might anticipate that the flow structure would enhance mass or heat transfer.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide