Liquid bridge simulations with OpenFOAM

Abstract

Any liquid-gas interface being under a temperature gradient is subject to a thermocapillary flow generated by the differences in the surface tension. In the particular case of liquid bridges, this flow can evolve into a oscillatory or travelling flow known as hydrothermal wave. This works aims to achieve a better understanding of the formation of this kind of flow by means of computational fluid dynamics techniques using a specific software package. For that, a simplified model of the liquid bridge is proposed, reducing the problem its most elementary parameters. The numerics used to solve the system make use of the Navier-Stokes equations for fluid mechanics. In order to validate the simulations developed, a series of analysis will be performed to test the accuracy and reliability of the results obtained, as well as to test the capabilities of OpenFOAM running this kind of problems. The software employed to run the simulations is called OpenFOAM (Open Field Operations And Modifications), which is a free and open-source CFD package with a wide range of usability in many engineering and science fields.