A Coupled Level Set-Moment of Fluid Method for Incompressible Two-Phase Flows

A coupled level set and moment of fluid method (CLSMOF) is described for computing solutions to incompressible two-phase flows. The local piecewise linear interface reconstruction (the CLSMOF reconstruction) uses information from the level set function, volume of fluid function, and reference centroid, in order to produce a slope and an intercept for the local reconstruction. The level set function is coupled to the volume-of-fluid function and reference centroid by being maintained as the signed distance to the CLSMOF piecewise linear reconstructed interface. The nonlinear terms in the momentum equations are solved using the sharp interface approach recently developed by Raessi and Pitsch (Annual Research Brief, 2009). We have modified the algorithm of Raessi and Pitsch from a staggered grid method to a collocated grid method and we combine their treatment for the nonlinear terms with the variable density, collocated, pressure projection algorithm developed by Kwatra et al. (J. Comput. Phys. 228:4146-4161, 2009). A collocated grid method makes it convenient for using block structured adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) grids. Many 2D and 3D numerical simulations of bubbles, jets, drops, and waves on a block structured adaptive grid are presented in order to demonstrate the capabilities of our new method.