Videos

Dynamics of droplet breakup in a complex fluid

Presenter
July 16, 2008
Keywords:
  • Fluid dynamics
MSC:
  • 58D30
Abstract
The dynamics of droplet breakup in Newtonian fluids are described by the Navier-Stokes equation. Previous experiments have shown that in many cases the breakup dynamics follow a self-similar behavior where successive drop profiles can be scaled onto one another. In visco-elastic systems however, the Navier-Stokes equation is not sufficient to describe breakup. In this talk we will describe droplet breakup in a visco-elastic surfactant system which forms micellar, lamellar, and reverse-micellar phases at various concentrations. We present results of the dynamics of breakup in this system and compare these to previously studied Newtonian systems.