Development of a multi-phase flow solver using adaptive mesh refinement and interface reconstruction methods

Abstract

In combustion chambers of rocket engines, injectors supply the fuel and oxidizer in the liquid phase. Such liquid reactants undergo atomization, vaporization, and combustion processes. To design reliable and efficient injectors in rocket engines, it is required to consider the full processes. This research is part of an effort to develop a full atomization-vaporization-combustion solver. In this research, a multiphase flow solver for atomization is developed. A library of the volume of fluid (VOF) scheme for multiphase, IRL, is coupled with an incompressible, reacting Navier-Stokes equation solver, PeleLM. Surface tension force is introduced in the momentum equation using the continuum surface force model (CSF). In the CSF model, the curvature is used to estimate the surface tension. The curvature is calculated by using the improved height function technique. Multiple simulations were conducted to verify the VOF implementation. The translation and rotation of Zalesak’s disk simulations were performed to test the code coupling. The three-dimensional deformation of a sphere droplet simulation was conducted to verify the coupled code works well in 3D. The quantitative comparison with shape error in Zalesak’s disk and 3D deformation of sphere droplet test is performed. To verify the surface tension implementation, the stationary circular droplet pressure test and oscillating elliptical droplet test were performed. Due to the surface tension in the momentum equation, the pressure inside the circular droplet increases and the elliptical droplet oscillates with an appropriate period. In the future, a developed multiphase solver will be used to simulate the circular droplet collision and the atomization of the liquid jet. Thus, a modulated liquid jet with periodic inlet velocity fluctuation simulation will be performed. The result of this liquid jet simulation will be compared with experimental data and previous simulation results to verify the ability to simulate the atomization of the liquid jet.