A merging and jumping phenomenon of microscopic droplets on fine-structured and hydrophobic solid surfaces is investigated through a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the droplets motion based on phase-field modeling (PFM). In the PFM-CFD framework, the Cahn–Hilliard (CH) equation is adopted to calculate the advection and construction of fluid interfaces between two phases. A finite element method (FEM)-based commercial software is used to numerically solve a set of the Navier–Stokes (NS) equations of two-phase fluid motion and the CH diffuse-interface advection equation for an immiscible incompressible isothermal gas-liquid flow system. The CFD simulation results are evaluated in comparison with available experimental data to optimally design a novel vapor chamber which can enhance dropwise condensation heat transfer with nano/micro-structured super-hydrophobic solid surface for cooling electronic devices more efficiently.
Takada et al. (Wed,) studied this question.