A low-Mach volume-of-fluid model for the evaporation of suspended droplets in buoyancy-driven flows

This study introduces a comprehensive numerical model capable of simulating the evaporation of suspended droplets under different gravity conditions. Unlike previous studies, this work provides a detailed description of the multicomponent evaporation process by integrating: (i) interface-resolved evaporation; (ii) suspension by the action of the surface tension force, and (iii) variable physical properties. The model effectively captures complex phenomena such as thermal expansion, natural convective fluxes, and liquid internal recirculation, which cannot be directly resolved using more widespread spherically-symmetric models. Validation against experimental data confirms the model’s accuracy in predicting the droplet evaporation dynamics, and its utility in resolving discrepancies between prior numerical simulations results and experimental data. The model was implemented in the Basilisk framework; both the code and the simulations setups are freely available on the Basilisk sandbox. • Numerical model for the evaporation of suspended droplets with variable properties. • Accurate droplet suspension strategy for simulations in any gravity condition. • Demonstrating the effect of residual gravity on the experimental data. • Good agreement between the model’s results and experiments in normal gravity.