Diffuse Interface models for incompressible binary fluids and the mass-conserving Allen-Cahn approximation

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the mathematical analysis of some Diffuse Interface systems which model the motion of a two-phase incompressible fluid mixture in presence of capillarity effects in a bounded smooth domain. First, we consider a two-fluids parabolic-hyperbolic model that accounts for unmatched densities and viscosities without diffusive dynamics at the interface. We prove the existence and uniqueness of local solutions. Next, we introduce dissipative mixing effects by means of the mass-conserving Allen-Cahn approximation. In particular, we consider the resulting nonhomogeneous Navier- Stokes-Allen-Cahn and Euler-Allen-Cahn systems with the physically relevant Flory-Huggins potential. We study the existence and uniqueness of global weak and strong solutions and their separation property. In our analysis we combine energy and entropy estimates, a novel end-point estimate of the product of two functions, and a logarithmic type Gronwall argument