A numerical study of steady viscous flow past a fluid sphere

This paper presents a computational study of the steady viscous flow of a fluid over a spherical drop or bubble of another immiscible fluid. Numerical solutions have been obtained for external Reynolds numbers up to 500. The range of viscosity ratio is from 0.01 to 100.0. The density ratio varies between the same limits. The finite difference method was employed to discretize the model equations. A nested DC algorithm solved the nonlinear algebraic systems. Flow separation, the effect of internal Re number on the flow pattern and the computations of the drag coefficients are analysed. Vortex, velocity and pressure distributions on the drop surface are presented. The values obtained for drag coefficients are compared with the solutions provided by published predictive equations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.