Binary drop coalescence in liquids.

Abstract

Experiments on binary drop collisions within an index-matched liquid were conducted for Weber numbers (We) of 1-50 and collision angles of 15-80° below the horizontal. Drop pairs of water/glycerin mixture were injected into silicone oil and, due to gravitational effects, traveled on downward trajectories before colliding. A dual-field high-speed PIV measurement system was employed to quantify drop trajectories and overall collision conditions while simultaneously examining detailed velocity fields near the collision interface. In the We range examined, for equal size drops, both rebounding and coalescing behavior occurred. The drops coalesced for We > 10 and rebounded for We < 10, and this boundary was found to be insensitive to collision angle. Coalescence was found to result from a combination of vortical flow within drops and strong drop deformation characteristic of higher We. Flow through the centers of opposing ring vortices, strengthened by drop deformation, enhanced drainage of the thin film in the impact region, leading to film rupture and coalescence. The collision angle affected the eventual location of film rupture, with the rupture location moving higher in the thin film region as the collision angle increased. The film rupture location correlated closely with the location of maximum downward velocity in the thin film. The time between collision and rupture increases with We until We = 30. For We > 30, the time decreases as We increases. Unequal size drop collisions with drop size ratios (Ds/DL) of 0.7 and 0.5 were also examined. Coalescence occurs above We* = 11 similar to equal size drops. As drop size ratio decreases, the intervening film deforms more. If the velocity ratio uL/us < 1, the deformed interface becomes flat before coalescence. The rupture location varies due to the asymmetry of the drops. As collision offset increases (B > 0), the film rupture time is shortened and mixing of the fluid from both drops is enhanced after coalescence. The presence of tracer particles in the intervening film does not affect the minimum Weber number for coalescence, but the film ruptures earlier compared with cases lacking tracer particles.