Lattice Boltzmann solver for multi-phase flows: Application to high Weber and Reynolds numbers

Abstract: The lattice Boltzmann method, now widely used for a variety of applications, has also been extended to model multi-phase flows through different formulations. While already applied to many different configurations in the low Weber and Reynolds number regimes, applications to higher Weber/Reynolds numbers or larger density/viscosity ratios are still the topic of active research. In this study, through a combination of the decoupled phase-field formulation -- conservative Allen-Cahn equation -- and a cumulants-based collision operator for a low-Mach pressure-based flow solver, we present an algorithm that can be used for higher Reynolds/Weber numbers. The algorithm is validated through a variety of test-cases, starting with the Rayleigh-Taylor instability both in 2-D and 3-D, followed by the impact of a droplet on a liquid sheet. In all simulations, the solver is shown to correctly capture the dynamics of the flow and match reference results very well. As the final test-case, the solver is used to model droplet splashing on a thin liquid sheet in 3-D with a density ratio of 1000 and kinematic viscosity ratio of 15 -- matching the water/air system -- at We=8000 and Re=1000. The results show that the solver correctly captures the fingering instabilities at the crown rim and their subsequent breakup, in agreement with experimental and numerical observations reported in the literature.