Numerical simulation of polyurethane

foaming processes on bubble scale

7th OpenFOAM Workshop
Darmstadt, 25-28 June 2012
Stephanie Geier and Manfred Piesche
Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering

University of Stuttgart

Outline
Motivation
Foaming process
Modeling approach
Phase change modeling
Bubble-bubble interaction
Examples

Conclusion and outlook

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Motivation
Polyurethane foaming process
Mixing of polyol and isocyanate
Foaming and mold filling due to reaction progress

Local foam structure?

Foam properties, e.g. thermal conductivity and impact strength
depend on local foam structure
7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt
26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Foaming process

Gelling reaction

Increasing viscosity (urethane links)

Blowing reaction

Increasing viscosity (urea links)

Density reduction - chemical blowing of the foam (CO2)

Evaporation of physical blowing agent

Density reduction physical blowing of the foam (e.g. pentanes)

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Modeling approach
Assumptions and simplifications
Foam is a two-phase system
Gas bubbles
Liquid reacting polymer phase

Isothermal
Gas and liquid phase are incompressible
Constant viscosities
Numerical approach
Volume-of-fluid (VOF)

based on solver interPhaseChangeFoam

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Modeling approachGoverning equations

Continuity equation
=

(1)

Momentum balance

+ = + + + +

(2)

Volume fraction balance

+ + 1

(3)

source terms describing phase change

additional body forces
7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt
26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Modeling approach
Phase change
Phenomenological approach
Density evolution known from mold filling simulations or
experiments

foam

t
t1 t1+t
Volumetric gas creation rate accounting for phase change

(4)

- total volume of liquid in phase interface cells

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Modeling approach
Bubble-bubble interaction
Repulsive forces between neighboring bubbles expressed through
disjoining pressure [1]
=

<

(5)

Conversion to body force

=

(6)

[1] C. Krner et al.: Lattice Boltzmann Model for Free Surface Flow for Modeling Foaming. J. Stat. Phys., 121 (2005), 179196.
7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt
26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

Modeling approach
Determination of disjoining pressure
[1]

Volume fraction field

Phase interface region (blue) and

region of disjoining pressure (red)
7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt
26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

marker [1]

Bubble marker field

[N/m]

Disjoining pressure field in phase

interface region
9

Examples
Rising bubble
Effect of disjoining pressure implementation
No disjoining pressure

t=0s

t = 2,5 s

t = 6,75 s

t=7s

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

t=5s

t = 7,25 s

t = 6,25 s

t = 10 s
10

Examples
Rising bubble
Effect of disjoining pressure implementation
Disjoining pressure included

t=0s

t = 2,5 s

t = 6,75 s

t=7s

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

t=5s

t = 7,25 s

t = 6,25 s

t = 10 s
11

Examples
Bubbles in confined geometry
Boundary and initial conditions:

Solid walls: base and sides

repulsive forces
53 bubbles randomly distributed

Initial bubble diameter: 16 m

Foam density (from experiments)
foam [kg/m]

1200

= 2 /
= 1100 /
, = 1095 /

1000
800
600
400
200
0 2,5 5 7,5 1012,51517,5

t [s]
7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt
26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

12

Examples
Bubbles in confined geometry
Bubbles growing in a confined geometry

t=0s

t=2s

t=4s

t=6s

t=8s

1200

experiment

800

simulation

foam [kg/m]

1000

600
400
200

t = 10 s

t = 12 s

t = 14,25 s

0 2,5 5 7,5 10 12,5 15 17,5

t [s]
7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt
26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

13

Examples
Bubbles in confined geometry
Deforming and rearranging bubbles
t=9s

t = 9,5 s

t = 10 s

t = 12 s

t = 12,75 s

t = 13,5 s

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

t = 14,25 s

14

Conclusion and outlook

Model for polyurethane foaming processes on bubble scale
Phenomenological phase change model

Bubble-bubble interaction
u

Work in progress:
Foams with lower density

Extension to

time-varying polymer viscosity

appropriate boundary conditions accounting for varying flow
conditions during foaming process

7th OpenFOAM Workshop, Darmstadt

26.06.2012 Stephanie Geier

15

Numerical simulation of polyurethane

foaming processes on bubble scale
7th OpenFOAM Workshop
Darmstadt, 25-28 June 2012
Stephanie Geier and Manfred Piesche
Institute of Mechanical Process Engineering

University of Stuttgart

Thank you very much for your attention.