Multiphase flows in confinement with complex geometries

ORAL

Abstract

Understanding the dynamics of immiscible fluids in confinement is crucial in numerous applications such as oil recovery, fuel cells and the rapidly growing field of microfluidics. Complexities such as microstructures, chemical-topographical heterogeneities or porous membranes, can often induce non-trivial effects such as critical phenomena and phase transitions . The dynamics of confined multiphase flows may be efficiently described using diffuse-interface theory, leading to the Cahn-Hilliard-Navier-Stokes(CHNS) equations with Cahn wetting boundary conditions. Here we outline an efficient numerical method to solve the CHNS equations using advanced geometry-capturing mesh techniques both in two and three dimensional scenarios. The methodology is applied to two different systems: a droplet on a spatially chemical-topographical heterogeneous substrateand a microfluidic separator.

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Authors

  • Benjamin Aymard

    Complex Multiscale Systems Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London

  • Marc Pradas

    The Open University, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The Open University, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Open University, Milton Keynes, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Open University, UK

  • Urbain Vaes

    Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London

  • Serafim Kalliadasis

    Complex Multiscale Systems Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, Imperial College London, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, London, UK, Imperial College - London, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK