Numerical simulation of head-on droplet collision: Effect of viscosity on maximum deformation

Abstract

Numerical simulation of head-on collision of two equal-size droplets is conducted to observe the effect of viscosity on the maximum deformation amplitude using a moving-mesh finite-volume method. Recent experimental results by Willis and Orme [Exp. Fluids 34, 28 (2003)] have shown that the maximum deformation amplitude depends on the viscosity coefficient, and thus the percentage of energy that is dissipated until the instant of maximum deformation increases with the increasing fluid viscosity. This observation contradicts previous results by Jiang, Umemura, and Law [J. Fluid Mech. 234, 171 (1992)]. The numerical results in this Letter show that the dissipated energy and the maximum deformation depend on the collision Reynolds number, which is consistent with Willis and Orme (2003). However, this dependence decreases with increasing Reynolds number, which suggests that the effect caused by viscosity on maximum deformation becomes insignificant at sufficiently high Reynolds number.