Simulation of free-surface flows induced by partially immersed moving body: Validation

• Published in: AIChE journal 2002-03, Vol.48 (3), p.452-462
• Main Authors: Jongen, T., Chouikhi, S. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Methods of analysis, processing and quality control, regulation, standards; Olfaction. Taste; Perception; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology
• ISSN: 0001-1541; 1547-5905
• DOI: 10.1002/aic.690480305

Predictive performance of a free‐surface simulation technique is assessed using the volume‐of‐fluid (VoF) method, in the context of a challenging, yet simple and well‐defined, unsteady‐flow configuration mimicking the in‐mouth kinematic processes occurring during the consumption of liquid foods. An experimental “mouth‐analog” setup consisting of a cavity initially filled with a liquid and agitated by a ram moving periodically was modeled and simulated. Experimental and computational results are compared for a range of liquid viscosities (silicon oil and water) and over a range of processing conditions (low‐ and high‐agitation frequency) that trigger important effects such as surface reconnection and breakup, wall coating, filament formation, and air inclusion. Even with the large mesh and time‐step sizes used in the computations, the main relevant bulk kinematics of this complex transient free‐surface flow can be represented with a Euler volume‐tracking method such as the VoF method.