A high-order fully coupled electro-fluid-dynamics solver for multiphase flow simulations

Abstract

A high-order discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element solver is developed for solving electro-fluid-dynamics problems. The solver is employed to perform numerical simulations of deformation of a droplet suspended in another immiscible liquid by applying steady and oscillatory electric fields. The level set method is adopted to represent the common interface of the droplet and surrounding medium. Electrostatics equation with a jump in the dielectric property at the interface is solved to find the electric field distribution. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations including the surface tension force are solved to find the flow field. The Electrostatics and Navier-Stokes equations are coupled through changes in the geometry because of the deformation of the droplet and the dielectrophoretic body force, which is present at the interface.