Open Access

ARTICLE

Simulation of Dynamic Evolution for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Demulsification Controlled by the Porous Media and Shear Action

Heping Wang^1,*, Ying Lu¹, Yanggui Li²

1 Key Laboratory of Engineering Mathematics and Advanced Computing, School of Sciences, Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Nanchang, 330099, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China

* Corresponding Author: Heping Wang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Modeling and Applications of Bubble and Droplet in Engineering and Sciences)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2025, 145(1), 391-410. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2025.069763

Received 30 June 2025; Accepted 08 September 2025; Issue published 30 October 2025

Abstract

With oily wastewater treatment emerging as a critical global issue, porous media and shear forces have received significant attention as environmentally friendly methods for oil–water separation. This study systematically simulates the dynamics of oil-in-water emulsion demulsification under porous media and shear forces using a color-gradient Lattice Boltzmann model. The morphological evolution and demulsification efficiency of emulsions are governed by porous media and shear forces. The effects of porosity and shear velocity on demulsification are quantitatively analyzed. (1) The presence of porous media enhances the ability of the flow field to trap oil droplets, with lower porosity corresponding to improved demulsification performance. Moreover, a more orderly arrangement of porous media promotes oil droplet coalescence. (2) Higher shear velocity in the flow field facilitates the aggregation of oil droplets. However, oscillatory shear conditions reduce the demulsification efficiency of emulsions. (3) Among the combined effects of shear velocity and porosity, porosity emerges as the dominant factor influencing emulsion demulsification. (4) Higher initial oil concentrations enhance demulsification efficiency. These simulation results provide valuable insights for further research on emulsion demulsification.

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Keywords

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