Numerical simulation of the impact of liquid droplets on porous surfaces

This work presents a numerical model, based on the finite volume method, to study the dynamics of the impact/absorption of a liquid droplet impinging on a porous medium. To accurately represent the dynamics of the fluid flow special attention is given to the effects of surface tension and capillary forces, the movement of the free surface inside the porous medium, and the link between the fluid flow outside and inside the porous medium. The method of marker particles is used to track the position and the shape of the liquid region. The SIMPLEC algorithm is selected to solve the pressure–velocity coupling. In order to verify the accuracy of the proposed computational model, its predictions have been compared with data from a number of experimental studies dealing with various aspects of the overall behaviour. In general, the model shows a good level of agreement with these experimental data.