On a nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard/Navier-Stokes system with degenerate mobility and singular potential for incompressible fluids with different densities

Abstract

We consider a diffuse interface model describing flow and phase separation of a binary isothermal mixture of (partially) immiscible viscous incompressible Newtonian fluids having different densities. The model is the nonlocal version of the one derived by Abels, Garcke and Grün and consists in a inhomogeneous Navier-Stokes type system coupled with a convective nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation. This model was already analyzed in a paper by the same author, for the case of singular potential and non-degenerate mobility. Here, we address the physically more relevant situation of degenerate mobility and we prove existence of global weak solutions satisfying an energy inequality. The proof relies on a regularization technique based on a careful approximation of the singular potential. Existence and regularity of the pressure field is also discussed. Moreover, in two dimensions and for slightly more regular solutions, we establish the validity of the energy identity. We point out that in none of the existing contributions dealing with the original (local) Abels, Garcke Grün model, an energy identity in two dimensions is derived (only existence of weak solutions has been proven so far).