EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION OF A COUPLED LEVEL-SET AND VOLUME-OF-FLUID METHOD FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL INCOMPRESSIBLE TWO-PHASE FLOWS

Abstract

A level-set method is combined with the volume-of-fluid method for computing incompressible two-phase flows in three dimensions, where the interface configurations are much more diverse and complicated. For efficient implementation of the coupled method, we propose geometric formulations necessary for interface reconstruction, advection of the volume fraction, and reinitialization of the level-set function. The calculation procedures are based on an explicit relation between the interface configuration and the volume fraction. This allows us to reduce the number of iterations required for reconstructing the interface. The coupled method is applied for computations of bubbles rising in a liquid and droplets adhering to a vertical wall.