Mehdi Jadidi

Shear driven droplet shedding and coalescence on a superhydrophobic surface

The interest on shedding and coalescence of sessile droplets arises from the importance of these phenomena in various scientific problems and industrial applications such as ice formation on wind turbine blades, power lines, nacelles, and aircraft wings. It is shown recently that one of the ways to reduce the probability of ice accretion on industrial components is using superhydrophobic coatings due to their low adhesion to water droplets. In this study, a combined experimental and numerical approach is used to investigate droplet shedding and coalescence phenomena under the influence of air shear flow on a superhydrophobic surface. Droplets with a size of 2 mm are subjected to various air speeds ranging from 5 to 90 m/s. A numerical simulation based on the Volume of Fluid method coupled with the Large Eddy Simulation turbulent model is carried out in conjunction with the validating experiments to shed more light on the coalescence of droplets and detachment phenomena through a detailed analysis of the aerodynamics forces and velocity vectors on the droplet and the streamlines around it. The results indicate a contrast in the mechanism of two-droplet coalescence and subsequent detachment with those related to the case of a single droplet shedding. At lower speeds, the two droplets coalesce by attracting each other with successive rebounds of the merged droplet on the substrate, while at higher speeds, the detachment occurs almost instantly after coalescence, with a detachment time decreasing exponentially with the air speed. It is shown that coalescence phenomenon assists droplet detachment from the superhydrophobic substrate at lower air speeds.

A Numerical Study of Suspension Injection in Plasma-Spraying Process

Suspension feedstock in plasma spraying opened a new chapter in coating process with enhanced characteristics. The suspension carrying sub-micron up to few micron-sized particles is radially injected into an atmospheric plasma plume. Understanding the trajectory, velocity, and temperature of these small particles upon impacting on the substrate is a key factor to produce repeatable and controllable coatings. A three dimensional two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme is utilized to simulate the flow field of the plasma plume as well as the interactions between the evaporative suspension droplets with the gas phase. To model the breakup of droplets, Kelvin-Helmholtz Rayleigh-Taylor breakup model is used. After the breakup and evaporation of suspension is complete, the solid suspended particles are tracked through the domain to determine the characteristics of the coating particles. The numerical results are validated against experiments using high-speed imaging.

Shear-driven droplet coalescence and rivulet formation

Icing on aerodynamic surfaces occurs due to the accumulation of rain droplets when the surrounding temperature is below the freezing temperature. It is well known that icing phenomenon alters the aircraft aerodynamic forces and may cause serious damage. Therefore, studying water droplet behavior, such as shedding and coalescence serves as the primary step which can lead to understanding the fundamental physics of aircraft icing. Hence, in this study an experimental approach is used to investigate the shear-driven droplet shedding and coalescence on a hydrophilic substrate which can serve as the building block for the formation of rivulets.

Shear Driven Rivulet Dynamics on Surfaces With Various Wettabilities

Ice formation leads to significant decrease of aircraft performance and possible disasters. When rain droplets accumulate on aircraft wings, they form narrow films of water known as rivulets. Due to air shear effects, rivulets generate runback flow on the airfoil, enhancing ice formation. In this paper we report the results of an experimental study of the dynamics of narrow water films i.e. rivulets under the effect of various air shear speeds and different surface morphologies ranging from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic. Understanding the dynamics of rivulets is necessary in solving the ice formation problems on airfoils.Copyright

Numerical Modeling of Suspension HVOF Spray

Abstract A three-dimensional two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme is used to simulate suspension high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying process. The mass, momentum, energy, and species equations are solved together with the realizable k-ε turbulence model to simulate the gas phase. Suspension is assumed to be a mixture of solid particles [mullite powder (3Al2O3·2SiO2)], ethanol, and ethylene glycol. The process involves premixed combustion of oxygen-propylene, and non-premixed combustion of oxygen-ethanol and oxygen-ethylene glycol. One-step global reaction is used for each mentioned reaction together with eddy dissipation model to compute the reaction rate. To simulate the droplet breakup, Taylor Analogy Breakup model is applied. After the completion of droplet breakup, and solvent evaporation/combustion, the solid suspended particles are tracked through the domain to determine the characteristics of the coating particles. Numerical simulations are validated against the experimental results in the literature for the same operating conditions. Seven or possibly eight shock diamonds are captured outside the nozzle. In addition, a good agreement between the predicted particle temperature, velocity, and diameter, and the experiment is obtained. It is shown that as the standoff distance increases, the particle temperature and velocity reduce. Furthermore, a correlation is proposed to determine the spray cross-sectional diameter and estimate the particle trajectories as a function of standoff distance.