https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2009-01012-0
Modelling capillary filling dynamics using lattice Boltzmann simulations
The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Oxford University, 1 Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3NP, UK
Corresponding author: j.yeomans1@physics.ox.ac.uk
We investigate the dynamics of capillary filling using two lattice Boltzmann schemes: a liquid-gas model and a binary model. The simulation results are compared to the well-known Washburn's law, which predicts that the filled length of the capillary scales with time as l ∝ t1/2. We find that the liquid-gas model does not reproduce Washburn's law due to condensation of the gas phase at the interface, which causes the asymptotic behaviour of the capillary penetration to be faster than t1/2. The binary model, on the other hand, captures the correct scaling behaviour when the viscosity ratio between the two phases is sufficiently high.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2009