Computational and experimental analysis of dynamics of drop formation

Dynamics of formation of a drop of a Newtonian liquid from a capillary tube into an ambient gas phase is studied computationally and experimentally. While this problem has previously been studied computationally either (a) using a set of one-dimensional equations or (b) treating the dynamics as that of irrotational flow of an inviscid fluid or creeping flow, here the full nonlinear, transient Navier–Stokes system subject to appropriate initial and boundary conditions is solved in two dimensions to analyze the dynamics at finite Reynolds numbers. The success of the computations rests on a finite element algorithm incorporating a multiregion mesh which conforms to and evolves with the changing shape of the drop. The new algorithm is able to capture both the gross features of the phenomenon, such as the limiting length of a drop at breakup and the volume of the primary drop, and its fine features, such as a microthread that develops from a main thread or a neck in a viscous drop approaching breakup. The accu...

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