Mass Transport Across Droplet Interfaces by Atomistic Simulations

AbstractDue to availability of powerful computers and efficient algorithms, physical processes occurring at the micrometer scale can nowadays be studied with atomistic simulations. In the framework of the collaborative research center SFB-TRR75 “Droplet dynamics under extreme ambient conditions”, investigations of the mass transport across vapour-liquid interfaces are conducted. Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation is employed to study single- and two-phase shock tube scenarios for a simple noble gas-like fluid. The generated data show an excellent agreement with computational fluid dynamics simulations. Further, particle and energy flux during evaporation are sampled and analysed with respect to their dependence on the interface temperature, employing a newly developed method which ensures a stationary process. In this context, the interface properties between liquid nitrogen and hydrogen under strong gradients of temperature and composition are investigated. Moreover, the Fick diffusion coefficient of strongly diluted species in supercritical CO$$_{2}$$ 2 is predicted by equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation and the Green-Kubo formalism. These results are employed to assess the performance of several predictive equations from the literature.