Front Tracking Approach and Application to Multi-Fluid Flow

Multiphase flows simulations using a robust interface-tracking method, are presented. The method is based on writing one set of governing equations for the whole computational domain and treating the different phases as single fluid domain with variable material properties. Interfacial terms are accounted for by adding the appropriate sources as δ functions at the boundary separating the phases. The unsteady Navier-Stokes equations are solved by finite volume method on a fixed, structured grid and the interface, or front, is tracked explicitly by a lower dimensional grid. Interfacial source terms are computed on the front and transferred to the fixed grid. Advection of fluid properties such as density and viscosity is done by following the motion of the front. The method has been implemented for interfacial flow problems, depicting the interface and topology change capturing capability. The representation of the moving interface and its dynamic restructuring, as well as the transfer of information between the moving front and the fixed grid, is discussed. Extensions of the method to density stratified flows, and interfacial movements are then presented.