Experimental and numerical 3D study of a Taylor drop rising in a stagnant heavier liquid

Abstract

The present work concerns 3D numerical simulations and experiments on the rise of individual liquid Taylor drops through vertical columns of stagnant heavier liquids. Asymmetric effects are assessed for different conditions, following the observations in a previous work. Furthermore, the disturbances in the continuous phase due to the Taylor drop are studied. Experiments were performed with pairs of liquids in ranges not studied in the literature. Simulations targeted a broad range of dimensionless numbers and were done in a commercial code, using its implementation of the volume of fluid method in a three-dimensional domain. Results were processed according to relevant dimensionless numbers. Different behaviors are found concerning the existence or not of flow and drop shape asymmetries. Depending on the viscosity ratio, three ranges with different characteristics were identified. Relevant results are also reported concerning drop velocity when compared to the literature two-dimensional model. Drop influence in the surrounding continuous phase is also reported.