Numerical simulation of CO₂–liquid droplet separation via membrane filtration and vibration-enhanced droplet spreading

¹ Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics UB RAS, 614013 Perm, Russia
² Perm State National Research University, 614068 Perm, Russia

¹ Corresponding author: ivanwolodin@gmail.com

Abstract

This study presents numerical simulations of membrane-based mass transfer in a three-layer system and of droplet interface evolution on a solid substrate conducted using the lattice Boltzmann method. The analysis focuses on two key aspects relevant to carbon dioxide filtration in gas–vapor mixtures: flow interactions in multilayer porous systems and droplet spreading under vertical vibrations. Numerical results reveal that increasing the velocity of the upper layer enhances scalar transport across the interface, whereas a higher velocity in the lower layer reduces penetration. Simulations of droplet dynamics demonstrate that vertical vibrational forcing significantly affects spreading behavior and equilibrium shape. Moderate vibrations primarily reduce droplet height, while stronger forcing results in a twofold increase in the wetted area and faster spreading rates. The findings provide a basis for developing advanced models of CO₂ filtration and suggest that both hydrodynamic configuration and dynamic forcing can be used to optimize mass transfer and wetting in multilayer systems.