Abstract:
The accuracy of two-phase flow simulations is mainly determined by the mathematical
formulations and resolution of the computational mesh used in the numerical
model. Selective mesh refinement improves the accuracy of results while maintaining
low resource requirements. This study introduces arbitrees, a new recursive grid
design that allows hierarchical refinement and coarsening to be applied on uniform
and arbitrary grids.
An object-oriented simulation framework was developed that allows the mathematical
equations to be written directly in the code, providing direct control over
the behaviour of the flow model. Two-fluid models based on the volume of fluid
method are implemented and coupled to the arbitree grid to investigate adaptive
refinement in two-fluid simulations.
Test cases for shape advection in oblique, rotating and shear flow were used to
validate the interface tracking capabilities of the adaptive system. The adaptive
two-fluid methodology was tested by modelling the collapse of a liquid column.
In all cases, the predicted results exhibited encouraging agreement with analytical
solutions or experimental measurements.
