Using the Finite Element Method to Model an Evaporating Droplet

Modeling an evaporating droplet with colloidal particles has many computational challenges. This solid-liquid-gas system requires a highly refined mesh especially at the drop contact line, where the evaporative flux is highest. The elliptic mesh method is used to update the mesh at every time step, accommodating the free liquid-gas interface and focusing the mesh towards the rapidly changing areas. The numerical model presented was compared with analytical solutions for specific cases.