Three Dimensional Computational Study of Droplet Impact on a Solid Surface

Abstract

A comprehensive three-dimensional computational analysis is undertaken to track the droplet dynamics along with the heat transfer characteristics throughout the spreading and recoiling phases. Notably, the simulation results are compared within the frameworks of the static contact angle (SCA) and dynamic contact angle (DCA) models. The study uses the volume of fluid (VOF) technique within the ANSYS Fluent platform, incorporating the dynamic contact angle model. The simulation outcomes exhibit a reasonable degree of agreement with experimental results, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. The SCA model closely approximates the DCA model during the initial spreading phase, but, as the process progresses, the results based on the SCA model significantly deviate from the results of the DCA model as well as from the experimental observations. The presence of air trapped between the droplet and the solid surface acts as a barrier, impeding the heat transfer from the droplet to the surface. The heat flux attains the global maxima about the triple phase contact line region.