Modelling of the Interaction between a Falling N-Heptane Droplet and Hot Solid Surface

Abstract

Accurate prediction of the interactions between evaporating liquid droplets and hot solid surfaces is critical for the design and optimisation of industrial processes such as fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) and spray drying. A coupled Level Set-Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF) model was developed to simulate the impact and evaporation of n-heptane droplets interacting with hot solid surfaces, incorporating appropriate source terms for heat and mass transfer in multiphase calculations.

The numerical procedure was implemented in OpenFOAM and validated against experimental data from Chandra and Avedisian. The model successfully reproduced reduced droplet spreading rates as surface temperature increased above the saturation temperature, a result of combined effects from surface tension, viscous forces, and evaporation at the liquid-solid-vapour contact line. The model also captured pressure increases at the solid-liquid interface arising from rapid evaporation, which in severe cases can lift the liquid droplet from the surface. The effects of solid surface temperature on evaporation and heat transfer rates were analysed, with results showing generally good agreement with experimental observations, demonstrating the model’s capability for predicting droplet-surface interactions across a range of thermal conditions.

@article{gumulya2014modelling,
  title         = {Modelling of the Interaction between a Falling N-Heptane Droplet
                  and Hot Solid Surface},
  author        = {Gumulya, Monica and Utikar, Ranjeet P and Pareek, Vishnu and Tade, Moses O
                  and Mitra, Subhasish and Evans, Geoffrey M},
  year          = 2014,
  journal       = {Chemical Engineering Science},
  publisher     = {Pergamon},
  volume        = 116,
  pages         = {23--37},
  doi           = {10.1016/j.ces.2014.04.032}
}