A numerical study on droplet deformation, breakup and coalescence using extended finite element method (XFEM)

In the present work, the Extended Finite Element Method (X-FEM) was used to solve the Navier-Stokes equation numerically for an incompressible two-phase flow by considering the surface tension effect. The pressure field was enriched by using XFEM concept and the interface was represented by the level set methods. As expected, the XFEM led to accurate and better results compare to FEM and these results were in agreement with experimental reports[1-4]. Results showed that decreasing the viscosity ratio for fixed droplet size could facilitate both coalescence and breakup processes