BOUNDARY-LAYER FLOW ABOUT AND INSIDE A LIQUID SPHERE

A finite-difference scheme has been developed to solve the boundary-la yer equations governing laminar flows around and inside a spherical fl uid droplet moving steadily in another immiscible fluid. Using this sc heme, results not available in the literature have been obtained for c irculating droplets at intermediate and high interior-to-exterior visc osity ratios (mu) and large values of the external flow Reynolds numb er (Re). Detailed results over the range 1.01 less than or equal to mu less than or equal to infinity (solid sphere) and 100 less than or e qual to Re less than or equal to 10000 are presented for the velocity profiles outside and inside the droplet, the interface shear stress, t he external flow separation angle, the droplet surface velocity and th e drag coefficient.