A method combining an adaptive quad/octree spatial discretisation, geometrical Volume-OfFluid interface representation, balanced-force continuum-surface-force surface tension formulation and height-function curvature estimation is presented. The extension of these methods to the quad/octree discretisation allows adaptive variable resolution along the interface and is described in detail. The method is shown to recover exact equilibrium (to machine accuracy) between surfacetension and pressure gradient in the case of a stationary droplet, irrespective of viscosity and spatial resolution. Accurate solutions are obtained for the classical test case of capillary wave oscillations. An application to the capillary breakup of a jet of water in air further illustrates the accuracy and efficiency of the method. The source code of the implementation is freely available as part of the Gerris flow solver.1

An adaptive mesh projection method for the time-dependent incompressible Euler equations is presented. The domain is spatially discretised using quad/octrees and a multilevel Poisson solver is used to obtain the pressure. Complex solid boundaries are represented using a volume-of-fluid approach. Second-order convergence in space and time is demonstrated on regular, statically and dynamically refined grids. The quad/octree discretisation proves to be very flexible and allows accurate and efficient tracking of flow features. The source code of the method implementation is freely available.

There is a large amount of experimental and numerical work dealing with dry granular flows (such as sand, glass beads, etc.) that supports the so-called $\ensuremath{\mu} (I)$-rheology. The reliability of the $\ensuremath{\mu} (I)$-rheology in the case of complex transient flows is not fully ascertained, however. From this perspective, the granular column collapse experiment provides an interesting benchmark. In this paper we implement the $\ensuremath{\mu} (I)$-rheology in a Navier–Stokes solver (Gerris) and compare the resulting solutions with both analytical solutions and two-dimensional contact dynamics discrete simulations. In a first series of simulations, we check the numerical model in the case of a steady infinite two-dimensional granular layer avalanching on an inclined plane. A second layer of Newtonian fluid is then added over the granular layer in order to recover a close approximation of a free-surface condition. Comparisons with analytical and semi-analytical solutions provide conclusive validation of the numerical implementation of the $\ensuremath{\mu} (I)$-rheology. In a second part, we simulate the unsteady two-dimensional collapse of granular columns over a wide range of aspect ratios. Systematic comparisons with discrete two-dimensional contact dynamics simulations show good agreement between the two methods for the inner deformations and the time evolution of the shape during most of the flow, while a systematic underestimation of the final run-out is observed. The experimental scalings of spreading of the column as a function of the aspect ratio available from the literature are also recovered. A discussion follows on the performances of other rheologies, and on the sensitivity of the simulations to the parameters of the $\ensuremath{\mu} (I)$-rheology.

We investigate air entrainment and bubble statistics in three-dimensional breaking waves through novel direct numerical simulations of the two-phase air-water flow, resolving the length scales relevant for the bubble formation problem, the capillary length and the Hinze scale. The dissipation due to breaking is found to be in good agreement with previous experimental observations and inertial-scaling arguments. The air-entrainment properties and bubble-size statistics are investigated for various initial characteristic wave slopes. For radii larger than the Hinze scale, the bubble size distribution, can be described by N (r, t) = B(V 0 /2π)(ε(t − ∆τ )/W g)r −10/3 r −2/3 m during the active breaking stages, where ε(t − ∆τ ) is the time dependent turbulent dissipation rate, with ∆τ the collapse time of the initial air pocket entrained by the breaking wave, W a weighted vertical velocity of the bubble plume, r m the maximum bubble radius, g gravity, V 0 the initial volume of air entrained, r the bubble radius and B a dimensionless constant. The active breaking time-averaged bubble size distribution is described bȳ N (r) = B(1/2π)( l L c /W gρ)r −10/3 r −2/3 m , where l is the wave dissipation rate per unit length of breaking crest, ρ the water density and L c the length of breaking crest. Finally, the averaged total volume of entrained air,V , per breaking event can be simply related to l byV = B( l L c /W gρ), which leads to a relationship to a characteristic slope, S, of V ∝ S 5/2 . We propose a phenomenological turbulent bubble break-up model, based on earlier models and the balance between mechanical dissipation and work done against buoyancy forces. The model is consistent with the numerical results and existing experimental results.

Numerical models of surface tension play an increasingly important role in our capacity to understand and predict a wide range of multiphase flow problems. The accuracy and robustness of these models have improved markedly in the past twenty years, so that they are now applicable to complex, three-dimensional configurations of great theoretical and practical interest. In this review I attempt to summarise the most significant recent developments in Eulerian surface tension models, with an emphasis on well-balancing, curvature estimation, stability and implicit timestepping as well as test cases and applications. The advantages and limitations of various models are discussed, with a focus on common features rather than differences. Several avenues for further progress are suggested.

International audienceThe Serre–Green–Naghdi (SGN) equations, also known as the fully-nonlinear Boussinesq wave equations, accurately describe the behaviour of dispersive shoaling water waves. This article presents and validates a novel combination of methods for the numerical approximation of solutions to the SGN equations. The approach preserves the robustness of the original finite-volume Saint-Venant solver, in particular for the treatment of wetting/drying and equilibrium states. The linear system of coupled vector equations governing the dispersive SGN momentum sources is solved simply and efficiently using a generic multigrid solver. This approach generalises automatically to adaptive quadtree meshes. Adaptive mesh refinement is shown to provide orders-of-magnitude gains in speed and memory when applied to the dispersive propagation of waves during the Tohoku tsunami. The source code, test cases and examples are freely available

We present a front tracking algorithm for the solution of the 2D incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with interfaces and surface forces. More particularly, we focus our attention on the accurate description of the surface tension terms and the associated pressure jump. We consider the stationary Laplace solution for a bubble with surface tension. A careful treatment of the pressure gradient terms at the interface allows us to reduce the spurious currents to the machine precision. Good results are obtained for the oscillation of a capillary wave compared with the linear viscous theory. A classical test of Rayleigh-Taylor instability is presented.

We investigate the influence of capillary effects on wave breaking through direct numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations for a two-phase air-water flow. A parametric study in terms of the Bond number, Bo, and the initial wave steepness, , is performed at a relatively high Reynolds number. The onset of wave breaking as a function of these two parameters is determined and a phase diagram in terms of ( , Bo) is presented that distinguishes between non-breaking gravity waves, parasitic capillaries on a gravity wave, spilling breakers and plunging breakers. At high Bond number, a critical steepness c defines the wave stability. At low Bond number, the influence of surface tension is quantified through two boundaries separating, firstly gravity-capillary waves and breakers, and secondly spilling and plunging breakers; both boundaries scaling as ∼ (1 + Bo) −1/3 . Finally the wave energy dissipation is estimated for each wave regime and the influence of steepness and surface tension effects on the total wave dissipation is discussed. The breaking parameter b is estimated and is found to be in good agreement with experimental results for breaking waves. Moreover, the enhanced dissipation by parasitic capillaries is consistent with the dissipation due to breaking waves.