Improved discrete unified gas-kinetic scheme for interface capturing

In this paper, we extend the improved discrete unified gas-kinetic scheme (DUGKS) from solving the hydrodynamic equations to addressing the phase field equations, building upon our prior work [Wang et al., Phys. Fluids 35, 017106 (2023)]. The conservative Allen-Cahn equation and its modified form are presented first, followed by the construction of two improved DUGKS methods for interface capturing, based on the corresponding kinetic equations. The improved DUGKS for interface capturing utilizes the node distribution function instead of the interface center distribution function for evaluating the interface flux. The improved DUGKS enhances the numerical stability of the original DUGKS, and the good stability allows the calculations to be performed using large time steps, reducing the cumulative error from which more accurate predictions can be obtained. To verify the validity of the scheme, a series of numerical experiments were further carried out, including the diagonal translation, Zalesak's disk rotation, reversed single vortex, and deformation field. The comparison with the benchmark data shows that the improved DUGKS can simply and effectively capture the sharp interface and complex deformation interface of the two-phase flow interface.