Interaction pressure tensor for a class of multicomponent lattice Boltzmann models

Metastable and unstable hydrodynamics in multiphase lattice Boltzmann

Metastability in liquids is at the foundation of complex phase transformation dynamics such as nucleation and cavitation. Intermolecular interaction details, beyond the equation of state, and thermal hydrodynamic fluctuations play a crucial role. However, most numerical approaches suffer from a slow time and space convergence, thus hindering the convergence to the hydrodynamic limit. This work shows that the Shan-Chen lattice Boltzmann model has the unique capability of simulating the hydrodynamics of the metastable state. The structure factor of density fluctuations is theoretically obtained and numerically verified to a high precision, for all simulated wave vectors, reduced temperatures, and pressures, deep into the metastable region. Such remarkable agreement between the theory and simulations leverages the exact implementation at the lattice level of the mechanical equilibrium condition. The static structure factor is found to consistently diverge as the temperature approaches the critical point or the density approaches the spinodal line at a subcritical temperature. Theoretically predicted critical exponents are observed in both cases. Finally, the phase separation in the unstable branch follows the same pattern, i.e., the generation of interfaces with different topology, as observed in molecular dynamics simulations.

Thermodynamic effects of gas adiabatic index on cavitation bubble collapse

In this paper, an improved multicomponent lattice Boltzmann model is employed to investigate the impact of the gas properties, specifically the gas adiabatic index, on the thermodynamic effects of cavitation bubble collapse. The study focuses on analyzing the temperature evolution in the flow field and the resulting thermal effects on the surrounding wall. The accuracy of the developed model is verified through comparisons with analytical solutions of the Rayleigh-Plesset equation and the validation of the adiabatic law. Then, a thermodynamic model of cavitation bubble composed of two-mixed gases collapsing near a wall is established to explore the influence of the gas adiabatic index γ on the temperature behavior. Key findings include the observation that the γ affects the temperature of the first collapse significantly, while its influence on the second collapse is minimal. Additionally, the presence of low-temperature regions near the bubble surface during collapse impacts both bubble and wall temperatures. The study also demonstrates that the γ affects maximum and minimum wall temperatures. The results have implications for selecting specific non-condensable gas properties within cavitation bubbles for targeted cooling or heating purposes, including potential applications in electronic component cooling and environmental refrigeration.

Asymmetric Condensation Characteristics during Dropwise Condensation in the Presence of Non-condensable Gas: A Lattice Boltzmann Study

In this work, the condensation characteristics of droplets considering the non-condensable gas with different interaction effects are numerically studied utilizing a multicomponent multiphase thermal lattice Boltzmann (LB) model, with a special focus on the asymmetric nature induced by the interaction effect. The results demonstrate that for isolated-like growth with negligible interactions, the condensation characteristics, that is, the concentration profile, the temperature distribution, and the flow pattern, are typically symmetric in nature. For the growth regime in a pattern, the droplet has to compete with its neighbors for catching vapor, which leads to an overlapping concentration profile (namely the interaction effect). The distribution of the condensation flux on the droplet surface is consequently modified, which contributes to the asymmetric flow pattern and temperature profile. The condensation characteristics for droplet growth in a pattern present an asymmetric nature. Significantly, the asymmetric condensation flux resulting from the interaction effect can induce droplet motion. The results further demonstrate that the interaction strongly depends on the droplet's spatial and size distribution, including two crucial parameters, namely the inter-distance and relative size of droplets. The asymmetric condensation characteristics are consequently dependent on the difference in the interaction intensities on both sides of the droplet. Finally, we demonstrate numerically and theoretically that the evolution of the droplet radius versus time can be suitably described by a power law; the corresponding exponent is kept at a constant of 0.50 for isolated-like growth and is strongly sensitive to the interaction effect for the growth in a pattern.

Pore-Scale Study on Convective Drying of Porous Media

In this work, a numerical model for isothermal liquid-vapor phase change (evaporation) of the two-component air-water system is proposed based on the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method. Through the Chapman-Enskog multiscale analysis, we show that the model can correctly recover the macroscopic governing equations of the multicomponent multiphase system with a built-in binary diffusion mechanism. The model is verified based on the two-component Stefan problem where the measured binary diffusivity is consistent with theoretical analysis. The model is then applied to convective drying of a dual-porosity porous medium at the pore scale. The simulation captures a classical transition in the drying process of porous media, from the constant rate period (CRP, first phase) showing significant capillary pumping from large to small pores, to the falling rate period (FRP, second phase) with the liquid front receding in small pores. It is found that, in the CRP, the evaporation rate increases with the inflow Reynolds number (Re), while in the FRP, the evaporation curves almost collapse at different Res. The underlying mechanism is elucidated by introducing an effective Péclet number (Pe). It is shown that convection is dominant in the CRP and diffusion in the FRP, as evidenced by Pe > 1 and Pe < 1, respectively. We also find a log-law dependence of the average evaporation rate on the inflow Re in the CRP regime. The present work provides new insights into the drying physics of porous media and its direct modeling at the pore scale.

A lattice Boltzmann study of particle settling in a fluctuating multicomponent fluid under confinement

We present mesoscale numerical simulations based on the coupling of the fluctuating lattice Boltzmann method for multicomponent systems with a wetted finite-size particle model. This newly coupled methodologies are used to study the motion of a spherical particle driven by a constant body force in a confined channel with a fixed square cross section. The channel is filled with a mixture of two liquids under the effect of thermal fluctuations. After some validations steps in the absence of fluctuations, we study the fluctuations in the particle's velocity at changing thermal energy, applied force, particle size, and particle wettability. The importance of fluctuations with respect to the mean settling velocity is quantitatively assessed, especially in comparison with unconfined situations. Results show that the expected effects of confinement are very well captured by the numerical simulations, wherein the confinement strongly enhances the importance of velocity fluctuations, which can be one order of magnitude larger than what expected in unconfined domains. The observed findings underscore the versatility of the proposed methodology in highlighting the effects of confinement on the motion of particles in the presence of thermal fluctuations.

Structure and isotropy of lattice pressure tensors for multirange potentials

We systematically analyze the tensorial structure of the lattice pressure tensors for a class of multiphase lattice Boltzmann models (LBM) with multirange interactions. Due to lattice discrete effects, we show that the built-in isotropy properties of the lattice interaction forces are not necessarily mirrored in the corresponding lattice pressure tensor. This finding opens a different perspective for constructing forcing schemes, achieving the desired isotropy in the lattice pressure tensors via a suitable choice of multirange potentials. As an immediate application, the obtained LBM forcing schemes are tested via numerical simulations of nonideal equilibrium interfaces and are shown to yield weaker and less spatially extended spurious currents with respect to forcing schemes obtained by forcing isotropy requirements only. From a general perspective, the proposed analysis yields an approach for implementing forcing symmetries, never explored so far in the framework of the Shan-Chen method for LBM. We argue this will be beneficial for future studies of nonideal interfaces.

Achieving thermodynamic consistency in a class of free-energy multiphase lattice Boltzmann models

The free-energy lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is one of the major multiphase models in the LB community. The present study is focused on a class of free-energy LB models in which the divergence of thermodynamic pressure tensor or its equivalent form expressed by the chemical potential is incorporated into the LB equation via a forcing term. Although this class of free-energy LB models may be thermodynamically consistent at the continuum level, it suffers from thermodynamic inconsistency at the discrete lattice level owing to numerical errors [Guo et al., Phys. Rev. E 83, 036707 (2010)10.1103/PhysRevE.83.036707]. The numerical error term mainly includes two parts: one comes from the discrete gradient operator and the other can be identified in a high-order Chapman-Enskog analysis. In this paper, we propose an improved scheme to eliminate the thermodynamic inconsistency of the aforementioned class of free-energy LB models. The improved scheme is constructed by modifying the equation of state of the standard LB equation, through which the discretization of ∇(ρc_{s}^{2}) is no longer involved in the force calculation and then the numerical errors can be significantly reduced. Numerical simulations are subsequently performed to validate the proposed scheme. The numerical results show that the improved scheme is capable of eliminating the thermodynamic inconsistency and can significantly reduce the spurious currents in comparison with the standard forcing-based free-energy LB model.

Benchmark cases for a multi-component Lattice-Boltzmann method in hydrostatic conditions

Hydrostatic properties of partially saturated granular materials at the pore scale are evaluated by the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) using Palabos implementation of the multi-component multiphase Shan-Chen model. Benchmark cases are presented to quantify the discretization errors and the sensitivity to geometrical and physical properties. This work offers practical guidelines to design LBM simulations of multiphase problems in porous media. Namely, a solid walls retraction procedure is proposed to reduce discretization errors significantly, leading to quadratic convergence. On this basis the equilibrium shapes of pendular bridges simulated numerically are in good agreement with the Young-Laplace equation. Likewise, entry capillary pressure and meniscus profiles in tubes of various cross-sectional shapes are in agreement with analytical predictions. The main points of this article are summarized as:•Benchmark cases for a multi-component Lattice-Boltzmann method are illustrated to be a guideline to calibrate the method in hydrostatic conditions.•A wall retraction procedure is introduced to minimize discretization errors.

Application of high-order lattice Boltzmann pseudopotential models

Higher-order lattice Boltzmann (LB) pseudopotential models have great potential for solving complex fluid dynamics in various areas of modern science. The discreteness of the lattice discretization makes these models an attractive choice due to their flexibility, capacity to capture hydrodynamic details, and inherent adaptability to parallel computations. Despite those advantages, the discreteness makes high-order LB models difficult to apply due to the larger lattice structure, for which basic fundamental properties, namely diffusion coefficient and contact angle, remain unknown. This work addresses this by providing general continuum solutions for those two basic properties and demonstrating these solutions to compare favorably against known theory. Various high-order LB models are shown to reproduce the sinusoidal decay of a binary miscible mixture accurately and consistently. Furthermore, these models are shown to reproduce neutral, hydrophobic, and hydrophilic contact angles. Discrete differences are shown to exist, which are captured at the discrete level and confirmed through droplet shape analysis. This work provides practical tools that allow for high-order LB pseudopotential models to be used to simulate multicomponent flows.

Interaction pressure tensor on high-order lattice Boltzmann models for nonideal fluids

In this work we address the application of pseudopotentials directly on high-order lattice Boltzmann models. We derive a general expression for the pressure tensor on high-order lattices considering all nonideal interactions, including intra- and intermolecular interactions, following the discrete lattice theory introduced by X. Shan [Phys. Rev. E 77, 066702 (2008)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.77.066702]. From the derived expression, a generalized continuum approximation, truncated at fourth-order isotropy, is obtained that is readily applicable to high-order lattices. With this, we demonstrate that high-order lattice models with pseudopotentials can satisfy thermodynamic consistency. The derived generalized expression and continuum approximation are validated for the case of a flat interface and compared against the standard definition available from the literature. The generalized expression is also shown to accurately reproduce the Laplace experiment for a variety of high-order lattice structures. This work sets the preliminary steps towards the application of high-order lattice models for simulating nonideal fluid mixtures.

Lattice Boltzmann simulations of nonequilibrium fluctuations in a nonideal binary mixture

In recent years the lattice Boltzmann (LB) methodology has been fruitfully extended to include the effects of thermal fluctuations. So far, all studied cases pertain to equilibrium fluctuations, i.e., fluctuations with respect to an equilibrium background state. In this paper we take a step further and present results of fluctuating LB simulations of a binary mixture confined between two parallel walls in the presence of a constant concentration gradient in the wall-to-wall direction. This is a paradigmatic setup for the study of nonequilibrium (NE) fluctuations, i.e., fluctuations with respect to a nonequilibrium state. We analyze the dependence of the structure factors for the hydrodynamical fields on the wave vector q in both the directions parallel and perpendicular to the walls, highlighting the long-range (∼|q|^{-4}) nature of correlations in the NE framework. Results at the small scales (high wave numbers) quantitatively agree with the predictions of fluctuating hydrodynamics without fitting parameters. At larger scales (low wave numbers), however, results show finite-size effects induced by confinement and call for further studies aimed at controlling boundary conditions in the fluctuating LB framework as well as compressibility effects. Moreover, in the presence of a nonideal equation of state of the mixture, we also observe that the (spatially homogeneous) average pressure changes, due to a genuinely new contribution triggered by NE fluctuations. These NE pressure effects are studied at changing the system size and the concentration gradient. Taken all together, we argue that the results of this article are useful and instrumental to boost the applicability of the fluctuating LB methodology in the framework of NE fluctuations, possibly in conjunction with experiments.

Hydrodynamic behavior of the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method for interfacial flows

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is routinely employed in the simulation of complex multiphase flows comprising bulk phases separated by nonideal interfaces. The LBM is intrinsically mesoscale with a hydrodynamic equivalence popularly set by the Chapman-Enskog analysis, requiring that fields slowly vary in space and time. The latter assumptions become questionable close to interfaces where the method is also known to be affected by spurious nonhydrodynamical contributions. This calls for quantitative hydrodynamical checks. In this paper, we analyze the hydrodynamic behavior of the LBM pseudopotential models for the problem of the breakup of a liquid ligament triggered by the Plateau-Rayleigh instability. Simulations are performed at fixed interface thickness, while increasing the ligament radius, i.e., in the "sharp interface" limit. The influence of different LBM collision operators is also assessed. We find that different distributions of spurious currents along the interface may change the outcome of the pseudopotential model simulations quite sensibly, which suggests that a proper fine-tuning of pseudopotential models in time-dependent problems is needed before the utilization in concrete applications. Taken all together, we argue that the results of the proposed paper provide a valuable insight for engineering pseudopotential model applications involving the hydrodynamics of liquid jets.

Effects of thermal fluctuations in the fragmentation of a nanoligament

We study the effects of thermally induced capillary waves in the fragmentation of a liquid ligament into multiple nanodroplets. Our numerical implementation is based on a fluctuating lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for nonideal multicomponent fluids, including nonequilibrium stochastic fluxes mimicking the effects of molecular forces at the nanoscales. We quantitatively analyze the statistical distribution of the breakup times and the droplet volumes after the fragmentation process at changing the two relevant length scales of the problem, i.e., the thermal length scale and the ligament size. The robustness of the observed findings is also corroborated by quantitative comparisons with the predictions of sharp interface hydrodynamics. Beyond the practical importance of our findings for nanofluidic engineering devices, our study also explores a novel application of LB in the realm of nanofluidic phenomena.

Lattice Boltzmann simulations of droplet dynamics in time-dependent flows

We study the deformation and dynamics of droplets in time-dependent flows using 3D numerical simulations of two immiscible fluids based on the lattice Boltzmann model (LBM). Analytical models are available in the literature, which assume the droplet shape to be an ellipsoid at all times (P.L. Maffettone, M. Minale, J. Non-Newton. Fluid Mech 78, 227 (1998); M. Minale, Rheol. Acta 47, 667 (2008)). Beyond the practical importance of using a mesoscale simulation to assess "ab initio" the robustness and limitations of such theoretical models, our simulations are also key to discuss --in controlled situations-- some relevant phenomenology related to the interplay between the flow time scales and the droplet time scales regarding the "transparency" transition for high enough shear frequencies for an external oscillating flow. This work may be regarded as a step forward to discuss extensions towards a novel DNS approach, describing the mesoscale physics of small droplets subjected to a generic hydrodynamical strain field, possibly mimicking the effect of a realistic turbulent flow on dilute droplet suspensions.

Thermohydrodynamics of an evaporating droplet studied using a multiphase lattice Boltzmann method

In this paper, the thermohydrodynamics of an evaporating droplet is investigated by using a single-component pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann model. The phase change is applied to the model by adding source terms to the thermal lattice Boltzmann equation in such a way that the macroscopic energy equation of multiphase flows is recovered. In order to gain an exhaustive understanding of the complex hydrodynamics during evaporation, a single droplet is selected as a case study. At first, some tests for a stationary (non-)evaporating droplet are carried out to validate the method. Then the model is used to study the thermohydrodynamics of a falling evaporating droplet. The results show that the model is capable of reproducing the flow dynamics and transport phenomena of a stationary evaporating droplet quite well. Of course, a moving droplet evaporates faster than a stationary one due to the convective transport. Our study shows that our single-component model for simulating a moving evaporating droplet is limited to low Reynolds numbers.

Lattice Boltzmann simulations of droplet formation in confined channels with thermocapillary flows

Based on mesoscale lattice Boltzmann simulations with the "Shan-Chen" model, we explore the influence of thermocapillarity on the breakup properties of fluid threads in a microfluidic T-junction, where a dispersed phase is injected perpendicularly into a main channel containing a continuous phase, and the latter induces periodic breakup of droplets due to the cross-flowing. Temperature effects are investigated by switching on-off both positive-negative temperature gradients along the main channel direction, thus promoting a different thread dynamics with anticipated-delayed breakup. Numerical simulations are performed at changing the flow rates of both the continuous and dispersed phases, as well as the relative importance of viscous forces, surface tension forces, and thermocapillary stresses. The range of parameters is broad enough to characterize the effects of thermocapillarity on different mechanisms of breakup in the confined T-junction, including the so-called "squeezing" and "dripping" regimes, previously identified in the literature. Some simple scaling arguments are proposed to rationalize the observed behavior, and to provide quantitative guidelines on how to predict the droplet size after breakup.

Effects of viscoelasticity on droplet dynamics and break-up in microfluidic T-Junctions: a lattice Boltzmann study

The effects of viscoelasticity on the dynamics and break-up of fluid threads in microfluidic T-junctions are investigated using numerical simulations of dilute polymer solutions at changing the Capillary number (Ca), i.e. at changing the balance between the viscous forces and the surface tension at the interface, up to Ca ≈ 3×10(-2). A Navier-Stokes (NS) description of the solvent based on the lattice Boltzmann models (LBM) is here coupled to constitutive equations for finite extensible non-linear elastic dumbbells with the closure proposed by Peterlin (FENE-P model). We present the results of three-dimensional simulations in a range of Ca which is broad enough to characterize all the three characteristic mechanisms of break-up in the confined T-junction, i.e. squeezing, dripping and jetting regimes. The various model parameters of the FENE-P constitutive equations, including the polymer relaxation time τP and the finite extensibility parameter L2, are changed to provide quantitative details on how the dynamics and break-up properties are affected by viscoelasticity. We will analyze cases with Droplet Viscoelasticity (DV), where viscoelastic properties are confined in the dispersed (d) phase, as well as cases with Matrix Viscoelasticity (MV), where viscoelastic properties are confined in the continuous (c) phase. Moderate flow-rate ratios Q ≈ O(1) of the two phases are considered in the present study. Overall, we find that the effects are more pronounced in the case with MV, as the flow driving the break-up process upstream of the emerging thread can be sensibly perturbed by the polymer stresses.

A lattice Boltzmann study of the effects of viscoelasticity on droplet formation in microfluidic cross-junctions

Based on mesoscale lattice Boltzmann (LB) numerical simulations, we investigate the effects of viscoelasticity on the break-up of liquid threads in microfluidic cross-junctions, where droplets are formed by focusing a liquid thread of a dispersed (d) phase into another co-flowing continuous (c) immiscible phase. Working at small Capillary numbers, we investigate the effects of non-Newtonian phases in the transition from droplet formation at the cross-junction (DCJ) to droplet formation downstream of the cross-junction (DC) (Liu and Zhang, Phys. Fluids. 23, 082101 (2011)). We will analyze cases with Droplet Viscoelasticity (DV), where viscoelastic properties are confined in the dispersed phase, as well as cases with Matrix Viscoelasticity (MV), where viscoelastic properties are confined in the continuous phase. Moderate flow-rate ratios Q≈O(1) of the two phases are considered in the present study. Overall, we find that the effects are more pronounced with MV, where viscoelasticity is found to influence the break-up point of the threads, which moves closer to the cross-junction and stabilizes. This is attributed to an increase of the polymer feedback stress forming in the corner flows, where the side channels of the device meet the main channel. Quantitative predictions on the break-up point of the threads are provided as a function of the Deborah number, i.e., the dimensionless number measuring the importance of viscoelasticity with respect to Capillary forces.

Assessment of interaction potential in simulating nonisothermal multiphase systems by means of lattice Boltzmann modeling

The pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann model (PP-LBM) is a very popular model for simulating multiphase systems. In this model, phase separation occurs via a short-range attraction between different phases when the interaction potential term is properly chosen. Therefore, the potential term is expected to play a significant role in the model and to affect the accuracy and the stability of the computations. The original PP-LBM suffers from some drawbacks such as being capable of dealing with low density ratios only, thermodynamic inconsistency, and spurious velocities. In this paper, we aim to analyze the PP-LBM with the view to simulate single-component (non-)isothermal multiphase systems at large density ratios and in spite of the presence of spurious velocities. For this purpose, the performance of two popular potential terms and of various implementation schemes for these potential terms is examined. Furthermore, the effects of different parameters (i.e., equation of state, viscosity, etc.) on the simulations are evaluated, and, finally, recommendations for a proper simulation of (non-)isothermal multiphase systems are presented.

Multipseudopotential interaction: a solution for thermodynamic inconsistency in pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann models

Pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann (LB) models have been recognized as efficient numerical tools to simulate complex fluid systems, including those at thermodynamic equilibrium states and with phase transitions. However, when the equation of state (EOS) of real fluids is implemented, the existing pseudopotential LB models suffer from thermodynamic inconsistency. This study presents a multipseudopotential interparticle interaction (MPI) scheme, which is fully consistent with thermodynamics and applicable to engineering applications. In this framework, multiple pseudopotentials are employed to represent dominant interaction potentials at different extents of the mean free path of particles. By simulating van der Waals and Carnahan-Starling fluids, it is demonstrated that the MPI scheme can correctly simulate the physical nature of two-phase systems on the lattice including the continuum predictions of liquid-vapor coexistence states and the sound speeds in liquid and vapor phases. It is also shown that the lattice interactions of the MPI scheme represent underlying molecular interactions as they vary in a broad range from strong short-distance repulsions to weak long-distance attractions during phase transitions. Consequently, the MPI is proved to be a reliable LB scheme as it avoids generating unphysical potentials in implementing the EOSs of real fluids and limiting the spurious velocities at the interface of two-phase systems. Additionally, a straightforward procedure is suggested and discussed to preset the MPI system with the two-phase properties of a selected fluid.

Fluctuating multicomponent lattice Boltzmann model

Current implementations of fluctuating lattice Boltzmann equations (FLBEs) describe single component fluids. In this paper, a model based on the continuum kinetic Boltzmann equation for describing multicomponent fluids is extended to incorporate the effects of thermal fluctuations. The thus obtained fluctuating Boltzmann equation is first linearized to apply the theory of linear fluctuations, and expressions for the noise covariances are determined by invoking the fluctuation-dissipation theorem directly at the kinetic level. Crucial for our analysis is the projection of the Boltzmann equation onto the orthonormal Hermite basis. By integrating in space and time the fluctuating Boltzmann equation with a discrete number of velocities, the FLBE is obtained for both ideal and nonideal multicomponent fluids. Numerical simulations are specialized to the case where mean-field interactions are introduced on the lattice, indicating a proper thermalization of the system.

Deformation and breakup of viscoelastic droplets in confined shear flow

The deformation and breakup of Newtonian and viscoelastic droplets are studied in confined shear flow. Our numerical approach is based on a combination of lattice-Boltzmann models and finite difference schemes, the former used to model two immiscible fluids with variable viscosity ratio and the latter used to model the polymer dynamics. The kinetics of the polymers is introduced using constitutive equations for viscoelastic fluids with finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbells with Peterlin's closure. We quantify the droplet response by changing the polymer relaxation time τ(P), the maximum extensibility L of the polymers, and the degree of confinement, i.e., the ratio of the droplet diameter to wall separation. In unconfined shear flow, the effects of droplet viscoelasticity on the critical capillary number Ca(cr) for breakup are moderate in all cases studied. However, in confined conditions a different behavior is observed: The critical capillary number of a viscoelastic droplet increases or decreases, depending on the maximum elongation of the polymers, the latter affecting the extensional viscosity of the polymeric solution. Force balance is monitored in the numerical simulations to validate the physical picture.

Sliding drops across alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic stripes

We perform a joint numerical and experimental study to systematically characterize the motion of 30 μl drops of pure water and of ethanol in water solutions, sliding over a periodic array of alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic stripes with a large wettability contrast and a typical width of hundreds of microns. The fraction of the hydrophobic areas has been varied from about 20% to 80%. The effects of the heterogeneous patterning can be described by a renormalized value of the critical Bond number, i.e., the critical dimensionless force needed to depin the drop before it starts to move. Close to the critical Bond number we observe a jerky motion characterized by an evident stick-slip dynamics. As a result, dissipation is strongly localized in time, and the mean velocity of the drops can easily decrease by an order of magnitude compared to the sliding on the homogeneous surface. Lattice Boltzmann numerical simulations are crucial for disclosing to what extent the sliding dynamics can be deduced from the computed balance of capillary, viscous, and body forces by varying the Bond number, the surface composition, and the liquid viscosity. Beyond the critical Bond number, we characterize both experimentally and numerically the dissipation inside the droplet by studying the relation between the average velocity and the applied volume forces.