Extension of the low diffusion particle method for near-continuum two-phase flow simulations

The low diffusion (LD) particle method, proposed by Burt and Boyd, is modified for the near-continuum two-phase flow simulations. The LD method has the advantages of easily coupling with the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method for multi-scale flow simulations and dramatically reducing the numerical diffusion error and statistical scatter of the equilibrium particle methods. Liquid- or solid-phase particles are introduced in the LD method. Their velocity and temperature updating are respectively, calculated from the motion equation and the temperature equation according to the local gas properties. Coupling effects from condensed phase to gas phase are modeled as momentum and energy sources, which are respectively, equal to the negative values of the total momentum and energy increase in liquid or solid phase. The modified method is compared with theoretical results for unsteady flows, and good agreements are obtained to indicate the reliability of the one-way gas-to-particle coupling models. Hybrid LD–DSMC algorithm is implemented and performed for nozzle discharging gas–liquid flow to show the prospect of the LD–DSMC scheme for multi-scale two-phase flow simulations.