An embedded level set method for sharp-interface multiphase simulations of Diesel injectors

We propose a comprehensive approach for treating complex wall boundaries in two-phase, free-surface flow simulations on a Cartesian adaptive grid. The external gas–liquid interface is handled by the well-known combined level-set volume-of-fluid (CLSVOF) method. The new element is the coupling with the wall boundary representation using a second level-set function. The no-slip boundary condition at the walls is enforced by properly populating the ghost cells of a narrow band inside the solid body, using a simple and numerically robust treatment of the contact line. In this framework, merging and separation of multiple solid bodies are easily accommodated. Verification tests with grid convergence analysis are presented for a stationary/oscillating body in single-phase flow and for a drop on an inclined plane. Two examples demonstrate the suitability of the proposed approach to study liquid injection. The first is a validation study with data from a scaled-up Diesel injector, to demonstrate how the seamless calculation of internal flow and jet primary atomization can be accomplished. The second is a demonstration of transient atomization response to a measured three-dimensional needle displacement of the injector.