Experimental study of the onset of downstream motion of adhering droplets in turbulent shear flows

•Displacement of adhering droplets in a channel flow was investigated experimentally.•The influence of droplet sizes, fluid and material properties were studied.•Droplet dynamics are categorized into oscillation, deformation and movement.•Three different motion patterns are identified for the moving droplet.•An empirical law was found to determine the critical droplet detachment air velocity. In this study, the dynamics of adhering liquid droplets on various solid surfaces in shear flow, which is driven by a controlled air flow, are investigated experimentally. A series of experiments are carried out to understand the effects of fluid properties, wetting characteristics, droplet sizes and flow velocities. A rectangular Plexiglas-channel is used for the experiments. Droplets are placed on the bottom wall of that channel. The droplet shape and contour position are measured by the transmitted light technique and are further analyzed by using image processing. The shear flow leads to a deformation and oscillation of the droplet and eventually to a movement downstream. Three regimes are identified: regime I corresponds to a deformation and oscillation, whereas in regime II the deformed and still oscillating droplets moves downstream. Regime III characterizes a continuous downstream movement in a gliding manner. The start of regime II, i.e. the onset of downstream motion is defined by a critical air velocity. Results show that the contact angle hysteresis and surface energy have a strong influence on the critical air velocity for the onset of droplet motion, as well as the wetting characteristics and droplet volume. To find a global empirical law for the critical velocity, a dimensionless approach is derived based on the droplet Reynolds number and a modified Laplace number. The empirical law is in good agreement with experimental data and may serve as an estimator of the critical velocity for the onset of droplet motion.