A simple volume-of-fluid reconstruction method for three-dimensional two-phase flows

TL;DR

The paper introduces APPLIC, a simplified and computationally efficient 3D volume-of-fluid method that maintains accuracy comparable to the complex PLIC approach for simulating two-phase flows.

Contribution

It proposes a new approximation-based VOF method, APPLIC, reducing complexity and computational cost while preserving high accuracy in three-dimensional two-phase flow simulations.

Findings

APPLIC achieves accuracy similar to PLIC.

APPLIC is more computationally efficient than PLIC.

APPLIC outperforms other simplified VOF methods.

Abstract

A new PLIC (piecewise linear interface calculation)-type VOF (volume of fluid) method, called APPLIC (approximated PLIC) method, is presented. Although the PLIC method is one of the most accurate VOF methods, the three-dimensional algorithm is complex. Accordingly, it is hard to develop and maintain the computational code. The APPLIC method reduces the complexity using simple approximation formulae. Three numerical tests were performed to compare the accuracy of the SVOF (simplified volume of fluid), VOF/WLIC (weighed line interface calculation), THINC/SW (tangent of hyperbola for interface capturing/slope weighting), THINC/WLIC, PLIC, and APPLIC methods. The results of the tests show that the APPLIC results are as accurate as the PLIC results and are more accurate than the SVOF, VOF/WLIC, THINC/SW, and THINC/WLIC results. It was demonstrated that the APPLIC method is more computationally efficient than the PLIC method.