Numerical simulation of evaporation and deformation of a single n-heptane droplet under forced convective condition

A numerical model for the evaporation and deformation of droplets is described and validated against the experimental data under various temperature conditions. The model is based on a standard multiphase flow solver in OpenFOAM, and the Volume of Fluid method with surface compression is used to capture the interface. In contrast to the original solver, the energy and concentration equations are additionally solved. Beyond that, an algorithm with parallel computing ability is developed to compute the evaporation source term by using the local vapor concentration gradient. Detailed numerical simulations were performed for a single n-heptane droplet under forced convective condition. Examinations of flow variables in both gaseous and liquid phases are presented. The effects of free stream temperature, Reynolds number, and deformation on the droplet evaporation are discussed.