ITR: Large-Scale Simulations of Emulsions

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Emulsions, or suspensions of droplets of one liquid phase in another, occur in a wide variety of chemical, biological and materials processes. Some examples include liquid-liquid extraction, the flow of blood cells, thermal induced phase separation for the formation of microporous membranes and the formation of the immiscible polymer blends with superior mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. In these and many other applications the emulsion is processed so that drops can undergo large deformations, break-up, and coalesce. The proposed project is an interdisciplinary collaboration concerned with large-scale micromechanical simulations of low-Reynolds-number or Stokesian emulsions. To deal with numerous challenges associated with this class of problems, the project brings together three researchers with expertise in geometrical modeling and visualization, fluid mechanical modeling and computations, and fast boundary element methods. The principal objectives of the project are twofold. First, explore, develop and implement various tightly integrated computational methods that will significantly advance existing computer simulation capabilities for Stokesian emulsions. Second, conduct simulations critical to the better qualitative understanding of the coalescence-induced-coalescence phenomenon and sheared emulsions containing highly deformable second-phase droplets capable of coalescence and break-up.