2005 Volume 45 Issue 2 Pages 214-220
We have investigated the film thickness and thermal exchange occurring during the coating and cooling of a liquid film on a substrate. The aim of our study is to demonstrate the interest of Direct Numerical Simulation tools for Interfacial flows to understand, on the one hand, the mechanisms involved in the deposition of the film on the moving substrate, and on the other, to measure characteristic parameters of the process. The direct numerical simulation is presented here in two-dimensions based on the Navier-Stokes equations, generalized to free surface flows. They are approximated by VOF (Volume Of Fluid) methods. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model is used to take the turbulence into account. We attempt to define the governing parameters of the process and propose a description of the flow. The characteristic parameters of the wiping of the film and the associated thermal exchanges are presented in terms of wiping thickness, transfer coefficient, cooling rate and temperature gradient along the film.