Lattice Boltzmann simulation of coalescence of multiple droplets on nonideal surfaces.

The interaction dynamics of droplets on a solid surface is a fundamental problem that is important to a wide variety of industrial applications, such as inkjet printing. Most previous research has focused on a single droplet and little research has been reported on the dynamics of multiple-droplet interactions on surfaces. Recently, Zhou et al. [W. Zhou, D. Loney, A. G. Fedorov, F. L. Degertekin, and D. W. Rosen, Lattice Boltzmann simulations of multiple-droplet interaction dynamics, Phys. Rev. E 89, 033311 (2014)] reported an efficient numerical solver based on the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) that enabled the simulation of the multiple-droplet interaction dynamics on an ideal surface (i.e., smooth and homogeneous). In order to predict the interaction dynamics in the real world, it is necessary to take into consideration the contact angle hysteresis phenomenon on a nonideal surface, which is possibly caused by the surface roughness and chemical inhomogeneity of the surface. In this paper a dynamic contact angle boundary condition is developed to take into account the contact angle hysteresis effect based on the previously reported LBM. The improved LBM is validated with experimental data from the literature. The influence of the droplet impact conditions (e.g., fluid properties and impingement velocity), droplet spacing, and surface conditions on the two-droplet interaction dynamics is investigated with the validated LBM. Interesting phenomena are observed and discussed. The interaction of a line of six droplets on a nonideal surface is simulated to demonstrate the powerful capability of the developed numerical solver in simulating the multiple-droplet interaction dynamics in the real world.