A MultiPhase Dynamic-VoF solver to model primary jet atomization and cavitation inside high-pressure fuel injectors in OpenFOAM

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes the development of a dynamic two-phase Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) solver to study the physics of the primary jet breakup and flow transients induced by the nozzle geometry during the injector opening event in high-pressure injection using the OpenFOAM technology. The dynamic solver has been extended to support second-order discretization in time for moving mesh problems with automatic topology changes. The solver extension includes curvature effect in the interface tracking. Phase change at the interface was modeled using the Schnerr and Sauer model. While the solver is compatible with any kind of turbulence model, turbulence effect have been treated using Large-Eddy Simulations (LES). Detailed numerical studies are presented to demonstrate the conservation preservation property and accuracy of the solver. Code validation was performed by comparing numerical results with experiments on a Continental XL 3.0 6-hole prototype injector. Finally, limits of applicability of the cavitation model with a two-phase solver for the simulation of internal nozzle flows of injectors are discussed.