Simulation of front evolving liquid film flowing down an inclined plate using level set method

Abstract

In this paper, the projection/level set method is used to simulate the liquid film flow down on an inclined plate for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. Special numerical treatments are designed to cope with the viscous terms. The simulation is carried out for different inclined plate angles ranging from 20° to 90°. The effects of the inclined angle, surface tension, and shear thinning on the flow are discussed. It is found that surface tension reduces the contact angle, increases the film thickness, and promotes a fuller flow front. The effect of shear thinning is to increase the velocity near the wall, make the contact angle larger, and reduce the film thickness. It is also found that the variation of rheological properties and surface tension may produce a complex flow behaviour due to the swollen flow front. © Springer-Verlag 2004.