Abstract
A numerical model based on the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method in sphericosymmetric geometry containing two immiscible phases is developed. The model is successfully validated using a wide class of available results. These include the inward and outward solidification problems and growth of vapor film in a saturated and metastable liquid. The model is also used to simulate the very rapid collapse phenomenon of vapor film around a hot metal in subcooled water. In each case, the results indicate that the numerical simulation successfully captures the essential physics, even at small length and time scales. It is established that the proposed numerical scheme correctly predicts the advection within the VOF framework in situations with pronounced curvature.
This work was partially supported by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, Government of India, under Grant BRNS/2000/36/10. The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful discussions with Dr. S. K. Gupta of AERB, Mumbai, India, and Sri D. Mukhopadhyay of BARC, Mumbai, India.