Volume tracking of interfaces having surface tension in two and three dimensions

Conference · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:219267

Kothe, D B; Rider, W J; Mosso, S J; Brock, J S ^[1]; Hochstein, J I ^[2]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
2. Memphis Univ., TN (United States)

Solution algorithms are presented for tracking interfaces with piecewise linear (PLIC) volume-of-fluid (VOF) methods on fixed (Eulerian) two-dimensional (2-D) structured and three-dimensional (3-D) structured and unstructured grids. We review the theory of volume tracking methods, derive appropriate volume evolution equations, identify and present solutions to the basic geometric functions needed for interface reconstruction and volume fluxing, and provide detailed algorithm templates for modern 2-D and 3-D PLIC VOF interface tracking methods. We discuss some key outstanding issues for PLIC VOF methods, namely the method used for time integration of fluid volumes (operator splitting, unsplit, Runge-Kutta, etc.) and the estimation of interface normals. We also present our latest developments in the continuum surface force (CSF) model for surface tension, namely extension to 3-D and variable surface tension effects. We identify and focus on key outstanding CSF model issues that become especially critical on fine meshes with high density ratio interfacial flows, namely the surface delta function approximation, the estimation of interfacial curvature, and the continuum surface force scaling and/or smoothing model. Numerical results in two and three dimensions are used to illustrate the properties of these methods.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 219267
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--96-0088; CONF-960162--3; ON: DE96007178
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ALGORITHMS
CALCULATION METHODS
INTERFACES
LAMINAR FLOW
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MESH GENERATION
SURFACE TENSION
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS