Parallel simulation of multiphase flows using octree adaptivity and the volume-of-fluid method

We describe computations performed using the Gerris code, an open-source software implementing finite volume solvers on an octree adaptive grid together with a piecewise linear volume of fluid interface tracking method. The parallelisation of Gerris is achieved by domain decomposition. We show examples of the capabilities of Gerris on several types of problems. The impact of a droplet on a layer of the same liquid results in the formation of a thin air layer trapped between the droplet and the liquid layer that the adaptive refinement allows to capture. It is followed by the jetting of a thin corolla emerging from below the impacting droplet. The jet atomisation problem is another extremely challenging computational problem, in which a large number of small scales are generated. Finally we show an example of a turbulent jet computation in an equivalent resolution of 6 x 10243 cells. The jet simulation is based on the configuration of the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of Academie des sciences.