Computational study of impinging jet on surface liquid drop: hydrodynamic interaction analysis and model validation

This study employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to analyze the hydrodynamic interaction between a plane air jet and a surface liquid drop, relevant to liquid film drying, solar collector cleaning, and dust removal from photovoltaic cells. Efficient maintenance of these systems is crucial for optimizing energy output. A Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model is implemented in ANSYS FLUENT, using the k-ε turbulence model for airflow effects and the Volume-Of-Fluid (VOF) method with the continuum surface force (CSF) model to capture surface tension dynamics. The study examines drop deformation, breakup, and ejection under varying jet velocities and impact angles. Results indicate that increasing jet inclination from 0° to 45° leads to a nearly fivefold increase in drop ejection velocity, demonstrating the strong influence of geometric configuration. Additionally, surface waves over ejected drops rise up to 60% of the original drop height. The numerical results, validated against experimental data, show a maximum discrepancy of ± 4% in ejection speed. These findings contribute to advancements in sustainable energy maintenance, industrial fluid control, and surface cleaning technologies.