Characteristic of drop coalescence resting on liquid-liquid interface

Abstract

The trajectory model of dispersed phase drops and the model of basic flow for drop motion between two inclined parallel plates are derived with the optimized calculation. The analytical results of direct numerical simulation indicate that the basic flow plays an important role in the drop coalescence on liquid-liquid interface. In the stratified two-phase flow field, the smaller droplets are difficult to drain the thin continuous film between the approaching droplets and bulk interfaces and eventually immerse into the trickling film to yield coalescence. They almost attain the velocity of their local surroundings. Moreover, the basic flow exerts a dominant influence on the motion of smaller droplet. The smaller droplets are easily entrained by the basic flow. On the contrary, the larger drop presents advantageous characteristics of coalescence due to its high velocity. The range of 0.3mm < δ _R ⩽ 0.75 mm is the advantageous drop coalescence condition since the rapidly varied velocity and its first derivative theoretically cause the forces acting on a drop to become imbalanced. On the other hand, the thin layer of the continuous phase drained from the interval between the drops and trickling film should not be neglected in the calculation of shearing force since it is important for drop rotation. The drop rotation is an indispensable factor in coalescence.

Keywords

trajectory / coalescence / laminar / force / rotation

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