Seminar on Industrial Problems

Interfacial Flow

May 22, 1998

Presented by: Todd Salamon, Bell Laboratories

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Interfacial flows, where two fluid phases are separated by an interface, arise in a variety of applications ranging from the coating of photographic film to the phase separation of oil and water. Some of the outstanding issues related to these flow problems include: (1) describing flows where there are large changes in interfacial topology; (2) developing macroscale models that accurately predict the flow physics at the juncture of two fluid phases and a solid phase, commonly known as a contact line; and (3) determining the flow when surface tension forces become small relative to either viscous or inertial forces. I will highlight these issues by considering examples including the flow of a fluid down an inclined plane and the coating of an optical fiber, and discuss approaches that address the aforementioned issues.