R . Narayanan , D . Schwabe Interfacial Fluid Dynamics and Transport Process

The numerical investigation of drop deformation and breakup under simple shear is a basis for theoretical studies of emulsification and mixing. A three-dimensional Couette flow without gravity is considered; the matrix liquid is bounded at the top and bottom by two parallel horizontal plates and the liquid drop is suspended there. The boundaries move horizontally, and generate a simple shear flow. The fluid and flow properties, such as viscosities, Reynolds number and plate separation, influence the subsequent evolution. The pinching off of daughter drops is investigated with the use of volume-of-fluid methods. The convergence of such methods, particularly with respect to drop size distributions, is evaluated, and a novel parabolic reconstruction of the interfacial tension force for the VOF method (PROST) is introduced.