Three-dimensional simulation of impingement of a liquid droplet on a flat surface in the Leidenfrost regime

The hydrodynamics and heat transfer phenomena of a liquid droplet impacting upon a hot flat surface are analyzed based on three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation considering film-boiling behavior. The 3D level-set method is employed to portray the droplet surface variation during its deformation. The governing equations for the droplet and the surrounding gas phase are solved utilizing the finite-volume method with the arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian technique. To account for the lubrication resistant effects of the vapor cushion formed by the film-boiling evaporation, a separate vapor flow model is developed to simulate the pressure and velocity distribution along the vapor layer between the droplet and the surface. The temperature fields in all phases and the local evaporation rate on the droplet surface are determined by using a full field heat transfer model. Both the water and n-heptane droplets impacting on the solid wall with different Weber numbers are investigated. The comparisons of the simulation results with the experimental results reported in the literatures are made to substantiate the model presented in this study. Specially, the spreading and recoiling motions of the impacting droplets are reproduced accurately for a wide range of the Weber number. The oscillation of the thickness of the vapor layer and the temperature distribution across the interface are also calculated and compared favorably with the experimental results. As the Weber number increases, the extent of the droplet spreading increases, but the residence time of the droplet on the surface is almost unchanged. Compared to the saturated impacts, the subcooled impact yields a thinner vapor layer and a higher heat transfer rate. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.