Evaporation of Falling Droplet using

Sharp Interface Level Set Method

Javed Shaikh, Atul Sharma, Rajneesh Bhardwaj
Abstract:
In gas turbine engines, the burning rate of the fuels are governed by the evaporation of liquid
fuels in the surrounding ambient at higher temperature. In this work, an in-house sharp interface
Level Set code based on the Ghost Fluid Method (GFM) is used. Energy, species and momentum
equations are solved in axi-symmetric coordinates for studying the droplet evaporation
phenomenon, falling under gravity. The energy and vapor mass fraction species equations are
coupled - using ClausiusClapeyron relation; and validated with d 2 law for Stefan flow
condition. The energy and species equations are further coupled with sharp interface based flow
solver for capturing the internal circulation - Marangoni currents developed in the liquid droplet
due to temperature gradient at the interface. The effect of atomized droplet size, ambient
temperature, and droplet temperature on the internal convection of the droplet is studied.
Parametric study is performed to understand the strength of internal vortex and the near-vicinity
flow physics on evaporation dynamics of the droplet. The evaporation data of the droplet in the
hot surrounding medium can be used to predict the ignition delay and combustion characteristics
in the fuel droplets.
Keywords: level set method, sharp interface, ghost fluid method, evaporation, internal
circulation
Introduction:
Numerical Methodology:
Results and Discussion:
a) Code Validation
1. D2Law with NS (To check spurious currents)
2. Droplet fall validation
3. Coupling
b) Effect of Outer temperature
c) Effect of Inner temperature
d) Effect of droplet size

Conclusion