Drag Correlation of Drop Motion on Fibers

The objective of this article is to correlate a drag coefficient to the Reynolds number for axial motion of barrel drops on fibers. This work includes effects of vibration-induced motion of droplets and coalescence. The study of motion of drops is important to understand the drainage behavior of droplets. Drainage of liquid helps to eliminate moisture from media samples before applying thermal energy and hence reducing the drying cost. A significant amount of literature describes the mechanisms of droplet capture, coalescence, and drainage from filter media and models are developed at a scale that accounts for the liquid held in the filter through averaged parameters such as saturation. Few papers discuss the motion of individual drops attached to fibers.

The study of drop motion on fibers is of scientific and economic interest for many possible applications like printing, coatings, drug delivery and release, and filters to remove or neutralize harmful chemicals or particulates from air streams. Gas convection-induced drop motion in fibrous materials occurs in coalescing filters, clothes dryers, textile manufacturing, convection ovens, and dewatering of filter cakes. Droplet removal can significantly reduce drying costs by reducing the free moisture contained in fibrous materials prior to applying thermal drying techniques.

In this article, the experimental drag coefficient versus Reynolds number data are compared for 1-D and 3-D cylindrical drop models. The results show that 1-D models are inadequate to predict the drag coefficient but do show the same general trends.