Simulation of Viscous Fingers Developed in Lifting Plate Hele-Shaw Cell in Volume of Fluid Model

Abstract

Bio-mimicking and fluid shaping have always been the important applications of Saffman-Taylor instability phenomenon. Saffman-Taylor instability is a phenomenon that causes the instability in the interface of the two fluids due to viscosity difference. Lifting plate Hele-shaw cell is an apparatus that is used in this experimentation. This apparatus is used to shape the Bingham plastic fluid, in the shape of microfractals that resembles the branched structures found in the leaves of the trees and also in the human body in form of veins and arteries. For the experimentations, a Bingham plastic fluid (toothpaste) was used as a more viscous fluid and air was the less viscous fluid. Simulating this entire process of formation of microfractals on lifting plate Hele-shaw cell in ANSYS Fluent is the main focus of this article. Volume of Fluid model is used to simulate this process and Herschel-Bulkley model was used to introduce the material required. With the help of the simulation model, one can study and observe the different microfractals that can be formed for different materials, by varying the different parameters of the experimentation.