Quasistatic analysis on configuration of two-phase flow in Y-shaped tubes

Abstract

We investigate the two-phase flow in a horizontally placed Y-shaped tube with different Young's angle and width in each branch. By using a quasistatic approach, we can determine the specific contact position and the equilibrium contact angle of fluid in each branch based on the minimization problem of the free energy of the system. The wettability condition and the width of the two branches play important roles in the distribution of fluid in each branch. We also consider the effect of gravity. Some fluid in the upper branch will be pulled down due to the competition of the surface energy and the gravitational energy. The result provides some insights on the theory of two-phase flow in porous media. In particular, it highlights that the inhomogeneous wettability distribution affects the direction of the fluid penetrating a given porous medium domain. It also sheds light on the current debate whether relative permeability may be considered as a full tensor rather than a scalar.