A consistent diffuse-interface model for two-phase flow problems with rapid evaporation

TL;DR

This paper develops a mathematically consistent diffuse-interface model for two-phase flows with rapid evaporation, addressing challenges like discontinuities and interface dynamics, and introduces novel methods for improved accuracy and pressure correction.

Contribution

It introduces a new diffuse-interface formulation with consistent level-set velocity extrapolation, reciprocal density interpolation, and a pressure artifact correction for evaporation modeling.

Findings

Enhanced accuracy in predicting interface dynamics and evaporated mass.

Improved pressure jump modeling with reciprocal density interpolation.

Effective mitigation of pressure artifacts in diffuse interface simulations.

Abstract

We present accurate and mathematically consistent formulations of a diffuse-interface model for two-phase flow problems involving rapid evaporation. The model addresses challenges including discontinuities in the density field by several orders of magnitude, leading to high velocity and pressure jumps across the liquid-vapor interface, along with dynamically changing interface topologies. To this end, we integrate an incompressible Navier-Stokes solver combined with a conservative level-set formulation and a regularized, i.e., diffuse, representation of discontinuities into a matrix-free adaptive finite element framework. The achievements are three-fold: First, we propose mathematically consistent definitions for the level-set transport velocity in the diffuse interface region by extrapolating the velocity from the liquid or gas phase. They exhibit superior prediction accuracy for the evaporated mass and the resulting interface dynamics compared to a local velocity evaluation, especially for strongly curved interfaces. Second, we show that accurate prediction of the evaporation-induced pressure jump requires a consistent, namely a reciprocal, density interpolation across the interface, which satisfies local mass conservation. Third, the combination of diffuse interface models for evaporation with standard Stokes-type constitutive relations for viscous flows leads to significant pressure artifacts in the diffuse interface region. To mitigate these, we propose to introduce a correction term for such constitutive model types. Through selected analytical and numerical examples, the aforementioned properties are validated. The presented model promises new insights in simulation-based prediction of melt-vapor interactions in thermal multiphase flows such as in laser-based powder bed fusion of metals.