Co-moving volumes and the Reynolds transport theorem for two-phase flows

TL;DR

This paper extends the Reynolds transport theorem to two-phase flows with phase change and slip at interfaces, addressing the challenges posed by discontinuous velocity fields and ill-posed initial value problems.

Contribution

It introduces a rigorous framework using differential inclusions to define co-moving sets and generalizes the Reynolds transport theorem for complex two-phase flow scenarios.

Findings

Extended Reynolds transport theorem for two-phase flows

Rigorous definition of co-moving sets with discontinuous velocities

Addresses ill-posedness in kinematic equations for phase-changing flows

Abstract

We consider the local kinematics at fluid interfaces in two-phase flows within the sharp interface framework. In the considered case with phase change and slip at the interface, the governing velocity field is discontinuous at the phase boundary with possible jumps of the normal and the tangential components. This causes the associated initial value problems for the kinematic differential equation, governing the motion of fluid elements, to be ill-posed in general. Motivated by a corresponding example, where the velocity field is physically consistent regarding the balance of mass and momentum as well as the entropy inequality, we employ concepts from differential inclusions, to rigorously define co-moving sets within this framework. Based on this general two-phase flow setting, we proof a natural extension of the Reynolds transport theorem to this case.