Experimental investigation on flow boiling bubble motion under ultrasonic field in vertical minichannel by using bubble tracking algorithm

Bubble dynamics is important in flow boiling of minichannel, and ultrasonic field effects bubble behaviors. However, flow boiling bubble movements in minichannels under ultrasonic field have received little research attention and are still poorly understood. In this paper, the effects of ultrasonic field on bubble dynamics are experimentally studied by capturing the bubble motion behaviors of the flow boiling bubbles. The ultrasonic frequencies are set to 23, 28, 32, and 40 kHz. Bubble tracking algorithm, which studies the growth, trajectories, velocities, and traveled distances for bubbles, is created to qualitatively describe bubble motion behavior of flow boiling in minichannel. It is found that after the application of ultrasound, the detachment frequency, velocity, and travel distance of the bubbles significantly increases, and the growth behavior and trajectory are extremely complex, the two-phase gas-liquid flow is extremely unstable. The bubbles gain kinetic energy as the ultrasound frequency increases. Finally, numerical simulations are used to quantitatively investigate the mechanism of bubble motion in microchannels under ultrasonic fields.     

Understanding the Effects of Ultrasound (408 kHz) on the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) on Raney-Ni in Alkaline Media

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occurring at the Raney-Ni mesh electrode in 30 wt.-% aqueous KOH solution were studied in the absence (silent) and presence of ultrasound (408 kHz, ∼54 W, 100% acoustic amplitude) at different electrolyte temperatures (T = 25, 40 and 60 °C). Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) experiments were performed to analyse the electrochemical behaviour of the Raney-Ni electrode under these conditions. Under silent conditions, it was found that the electrocatalytic activity of Raney-Ni towards the HER and the OER depends upon the electrolyte temperature, and higher current densities at lower overpotentials were achieved at elevated temperatures. It was also observed that the HER activity of Raney-Ni under ultrasonic conditions increased at low temperatures (e.g., 25 °C) while the ultrasonic effect on the OER was found to be insignificant. In addition, it was observed that the ultrasonic effect on both the HER and OER decreases by elevating the temperature. In our conditions, it is suggested that ultrasound enhances the electrocatalytic performance of Raney-Ni towards the HER due to principally the efficient gas bubble removal from the electrode surface and the dispersion of gas bubbles into the electrolyte, and this effect depends upon the behaviour of the hydrogen and oxygen gas bubbles in alkaline media.     

Does power ultrasound (26 kHz) affect the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Pt polycrystalline electrode in a mild acidic electrolyte?

In this study, we investigated the effects of power ultrasound (26 kHz, up to ∼75 W/cm², up to 100% acoustic amplitude, ultrasonic horn) on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on a platinum (Pt) polycrystalline disc electrode in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ by cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry at 298 K. We also studied the formation of molecular hydrogen (H₂) bubbles on a Pt wire in the absence and presence of power ultrasound using ultra-fast camera imaging. It was found that ultrasound significantly increases currents towards the HER i.e. a ∼250% increase in current density was achieved at maximum ultrasonic power. The potential at a current density of −10 mA/cm² under silent conditions was found to be −46 mV and decreased to −27 mV at 100% acoustic amplitude i.e. a ΔE shift of ∼+20 mV, indicating the influence of ultrasound on improving the HER activity. A nearly 100% increase in the exchange current density (j_o) and a 30% decrease in the Tafel slope (b) at maximum ultrasonic power, was observed in the low overpotential region, although in the high overpotential region, the Tafel slopes (b) were not significantly affected when compared to silent conditions. In our conditions, ultrasound did not greatly affect the “real” surface area (A_r) and roughness factor (R) i.e. the microscopic surface area available for electron transfer. Overall, it was found that ultrasound did not dramatically change the mechanism of HER but instead, increased currents at the Pt surface area through effective hydrogen bubble removal.     

Effect of ultrasonic standing waves on flotation bubbles

Ultrasonic flotation was an effective method to float fine coal. In this study, the effects of the standing waves with different frequencies on ultrasonic flotation were investigated. The dynamic processes of bubble and coal-bubble were revealed by a high-speed camera. The results showed that under the action of Bjerknes force, bubble aggregates were formed within 450 ms and coal bubble aggregates were formed within 20 ms. The bubble aggregates were statistically analyzed by image processing method. The number of aggregates and small bubbles in the ultrasonic field at 100 kHz was greater than those at 80 and 120 kHz. Besides, 100 kHz ultrasonic flotation achieved the highest yields of clean coal (35.89%) and combustible recovery (45.77%). The cavitation bubbles acted as either a “medium” or an “inclusion”, entrapping and entraining the coal particles in the flotation pulp. It promoted the aggregation of bubbles with coal particles, so the flotation efficiency was effectively improved in the presence of ultrasonic standing waves.     

Cavitation mapping by sonochemiluminescence with less bubble displacement induced by acoustic radiation force in a 1.2 MHz HIFU

An acoustic radiation force counterbalanced appliance was employed to map the cavitation distribution in water. The appliance was made up of a focused ultrasound transducer and an aluminum alloy reflector with the exactly same shape. They were centrosymmetry around the focus of the source transducer. Spatial–temporal dynamics of cavitation bubble clouds in the 1.2 MHz ultrasonic field within this appliance were observed in water. And they were mapped by sonochemiluminescence (SCL) recordings and high-speed photography. There were significant differences in spatial distribution and temporal evolution between normal group and counterbalanced group. The reflector could avoid bubble directional displacement induced by acoustic radiation force under certain electric power (⩽50 W). As a result, the SCL intensity in the pre-focal region was larger than that of normal group. In event of high electric power (⩾70 W), most of the bubbles were moving in acoustic streaming. When electric power decreased, bubbles kept stable and showed stripe structure in SCL images. Both stationary bubbles and moving bubbles have been captured, and exhibited analytical potential with respect to bubbles in therapeutic ultrasound.     

A fundamental study on the degradation of paracetamol under single- and dual-frequency ultrasound

The degradation of paracetamol, a widely found emerging pharmaceutical contaminant, was investigated under a wide range of single-frequency and dual-frequency ultrasonic irradiations. For single-frequency ultrasonic irradiation, plate transducers of 22, 98, 200, 300, 400, 500, 760, 850, 1000, and 2000 kHz were employed and for dual-frequency ultrasonic irradiation, the plate transducers were coupled with a 20 kHz ultrasonic horn in opposing configuration. The sonochemical activity was quantified using two dosimetry methods to measure the yield of HO• and H₂O₂ separately, as well as sonochemiluminescence measurement. Moreover, the severity of the bubble collapses as well as the spatial and size distribution of the cavitation bubbles were evaluated via sonoluminescence measurement. The paracetamol degradation rate was maximised at 850 kHz, in both single and dual-frequency ultrasonic irradiation. A synergistic index higher than 1 was observed for all degrading frequencies (200 – 1000 kHz) under dual-frequency ultrasound irradiation, showing the capability of dual-frequency system for enhancing pollutant degradation. A comparison of the results of degradation, dosimetry, and sonoluminescence intensity measurement revealed the stronger dependency of the degradation on the yield of HO• for both single and dual-frequency systems, which confirms degradation by HO• as the main removal mechanism. However, an enhanced degradation for frequencies higher than 500 kHz was observed despite a lower HO• yield, which could be attributed to the improved mass transfer of hydrophilic compounds at higher frequencies. The sonoluminescence intensity measurements showed that applying dual-frequency ultrasonic irradiation for 200 and 400 kHz made the bubbles larger and less uniform in size, with a portion of which not contributing to the yield of reactive oxidant species, whereas for the rest of the frequencies, dual-frequency ultrasound irradiation made the cavitation bubbles smaller and more uniform, resulting in a linear correlation between the overall sonoluminescence intensity and the yield of reactive oxidant species.     

Driving frequency dependency of gas species in the bubble formation for aqua-plasma generation

Effects of voltage driving frequency on the gas composition, electrical and optical emission properties of aqua-plasmas generated in electrolyte solution, are investigated and the experiment was carried out in the range of 10 Hz–50 kHz. In the range of 10–300 Hz, H₂ dominated bubbles are generated and it is attributed to electrolysis. With increasing frequency, the gas composition inside the bubble changes to the H₂O which can be determined from the observation of atomic H to OH(A-X) transition from the optical measurements of aqua-plasma. In higher frequency than 2 kHz, the boiling on the electrode dominates to the formation of the bubble. Consequently, the radicals and plasma properties are varied with the driving frequency.     

Circular motion of submillimeter-sized acoustic bubbles attached to a boundary by high-speed image analysis

The circular motion of submillimeter-sized bubbles attached to a boundary in an 18.5 kHz ultrasonic field are investigated experimentally by high-speed photography and image analysis. It is found that the vibration of gas bubbles with diameters of 0.2–0.4 mm is between spherical radial vibration and regular surface fluctuation. Different from the circular motion of suspended bubbles in water, the circular motion of gas bubbles attached to a boundary presents some new characteristics. These bubbles attached to a boundary (wandering bubbles) will rotate around a fixed bubble array (holding bubbles). Both the wondering bubbles and holding bubbles are “degas” bubbles. The primary Bjerknes force acting on wandering bubbles in the acoustic wave field and the secondary Bjerknes force between the wandering bubbles and the holding bubbles strongly affects the circular motion. The circling and residence behavior of gas bubbles is described and analyzed in detail, which is helpful to understand and improve industrial applications such as ultrasonic cleaning, sonochemical treatment, aeration and cavitation reduction.     

Impact of bubble coalescence in the determination of bubble sizes using a pulsed US technique: Part 2 – Effect of the nature of saturating gas

Knowledge on cavitation bubble size distribution, ambient radius of bubbles is of interest for many applications that include therapeutic and diagnostic medicine. It however becomes a hard quest when increasing the ultrasonic frequency, when direct observation of bubble dynamics is no longer possible. An indirect method based on the estimation of the bubble dissolution time under pulsed ultrasound (362 kHz) is used here under optimized conditions to derive ambient radii of cavitation bubbles in water saturated with He, Ar, Xe, O₂, N₂ and air: 3.0 µm for Ar, 1.2 µm for He, 3.1 µm for Xe, 2.8 µm for O₂, around 1 µm for N₂ and air. If the pulse on-time is increased, bubble coalescence occurs, the extent of which is rather limited for Ar but extremely high for He or N₂.     

Study on the bubble transport mechanism in an acoustic standing wave field

The use of bubbles in applications such as surface chemistry, drug delivery, and ultrasonic cleaning etc. has been enormously popular in the past two decades. It has been recognized that acoustically-driven bubbles can be used to disturb the flow field near a boundary in order to accelerate physical or chemical reactions on the surface. The interactions between bubbles and a surface have been studied experimentally and analytically. However, most of the investigations focused on violently oscillating bubbles (also known as cavitation bubble), less attention has been given to understand the interactions between moderately oscillating bubbles and a boundary. Moreover, cavitation bubbles were normally generated in situ by a high intensity laser beam, little experimental work has been carried out to study the translational trajectory of a moderately oscillating bubble in an acoustic field and subsequent interactions with the surface. This paper describes the design of an ultrasonic test cell and explores the mechanism of bubble manipulation within the test cell. The test cell consists of a transducer, a liquid medium and a glass backing plate. The acoustic field within the multi-layered stack was designed in such a way that it was effectively one dimensional. This was then successfully simulated by a one dimensional network model. The model can accurately predict the impedance of the test cell as well as the mode shape (distribution of particle velocity and stress/pressure field) within the whole assembly. The mode shape of the stack was designed so that bubbles can be pushed from their injection point onto a backing glass plate. Bubble radial oscillation was simulated by a modified Keller–Miksis equation and bubble translational motion was derived from an equation obtained by applying Newton’s second law to a bubble in a liquid medium. Results indicated that the bubble trajectory depends on the acoustic pressure amplitude and initial bubble size: an increase of pressure amplitude or a decrease of bubble size forces bubbles larger than their resonant size to arrive at the target plate at lower heights, while the trajectories of smaller bubbles are less influenced by these factors. The test cell is also suitable for testing the effects of drag force on the bubble motion and for studying the bubble behavior near a surface.     

Acoustic noise spectra under hydrothermal conditions

Acoustic noise spectra were studied for the first time in overheated water using sonohydrothermal reactor operating at 20 kHz ultrasound in the temperature range from 25 to 200 °C at the autogenic pressure of 1–14 bar. The obtained results highlighted a dominating role of stable cavitation during ultrasonic treatment of hot water. Heating of sonicated water results in the formation of large number of nonlinearly oscillating bubbles synchronous with the driving frequency. At 200 °C, the acoustic spectra also display strong subharmonic and multiple ultraharmonic bands. Moreover, cavitation bubbles formed at 200 °C exhibit chaotic and random motions. It has been shown that the addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles to hydrothermal water heated at 200 °C allows to eliminate subharmonic/ultraharmonic bands and stochastic oscillations as well. This effect was assigned to Pickering-like bubble stabilization due to the particle accumulation at the bubble surface.     

Sulfur removal from bauxite water slurry (BWS) electrolysis intensified by ultrasonic

Effects of ultrasonic on desulfurization ratio from bauxite water slurry (BWS) electrolysis in NaOH solution were examined under constant current. The results indicated that ultrasonic improved the desulfurization ratio at high temperatures because of the diffusion and transfer of oxygen gas in electrolyte. However, due to the increase in oxygen gas emission, ultrasonic could not improve the desulfurization ratio obviously at low temperatures. Additionally, the particle size of bauxite became fine in the presence of ultrasonic, indicating that the mass transfer of FeS₂ phase was improved. According to the polarization curves, the current density increased in the presence of ultrasonic, indicating that the mass transfer of liquid phase was improved. The apparent activation energy (AAE) of electrode reaction revealed that ultrasonic did not change the pathway of water electrolysis. However, ultrasonic changed the pathway of BWS electrolysis, converting indirect oxidation into direct oxidation. The AAE of BWS electrolysis in the presence of ultrasonic was higher than that in the absence of ultrasonic. And the low AAEs (less than 20 kJ/mol) clearly indicated the diffusion control during BWS electrolysis reaction.     

Towards an understanding and control of cavitation activity in 1 MHz ultrasound fields

Various industrial processes such as sonochemical processing and ultrasonic cleaning strongly rely on the phenomenon of acoustic cavitation. As the occurrence of acoustic cavitation is incorporating a multitude of interdependent effects, the amount of cavitation activity in a vessel is strongly depending on the ultrasonic process conditions. It is therefore crucial to quantify cavitation activity as a function of the process parameters. At 1 MHz, the active cavitation bubbles are so small that it is becoming difficult to observe them in a direct way. Hence, another metrology based on secondary effects of acoustic cavitation is more suitable to study cavitation activity. In this paper we present a detailed analysis of acoustic cavitation phenomena at 1 MHz ultrasound by means of time-resolved measurements of sonoluminescence, cavitation noise, and synchronized high-speed stroboscopic Schlieren imaging. It is shown that a correlation exists between sonoluminescence, and the ultraharmonic and broadband signals extracted from the cavitation noise spectra. The signals can be utilized to characterize different regimes of cavitation activity at different acoustic power densities. When cavitation activity sets on, the aforementioned signals correlate to fluctuations in the Schlieren contrast as well as the number of nucleated bubbles extracted from the Schlieren Images. This additionally proves that signals extracted from cavitation noise spectra truly represent a measure for cavitation activity. The cyclic behavior of cavitation activity is investigated and related to the evolution of the bubble populations in the ultrasonic tank. It is shown that cavitation activity is strongly linked to the occurrence of fast-moving bubbles. The origin of this “bubble streamers” is investigated and their role in the initialization and propagation of cavitation activity throughout the sonicated liquid is discussed. Finally, it is shown that bubble activity can be stabilized and enhanced by the use of pulsed ultrasound by conserving and recycling active bubbles between subsequent pulsing cycles.     

Experimental investigation of conical bubble structure and acoustic flow structure in ultrasonic field

The objective of this paper is to investigate the transient conical bubble structure (CBS) and acoustic flow structure in ultrasonic field. In the experiment, the high-speed video and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques are used to measure the acoustic cavitation patterns, as well as the flow velocity and vorticity fields. Results are presented for a high power ultrasound with a frequency of 18 kHz, and the range of the input power is from 50 W to 250 W. The results of the experiment show the input power significantly affects the structures of CBS, with the increase of input power, the cavity region of CBS and the velocity of bubbles increase evidently. For the transient motion of bubbles on radiating surface, two different types could be classified, namely the formation, aggregation and coalescence of cavitation bubbles, and the aggregation, shrink, expansion and collapse of bubble cluster. Furthermore, the thickness of turbulent boundary layer near the sonotrode region is found to be much thicker, and the turbulent intensities are much higher for relatively higher input power. The vorticity distribution is prominently affected by the spatial position and input power.     

Behavior of bubbles induced by the interaction of a laser pulse with a metal plate in water

When a pulsed laser beam is focused onto a metal plate in water, a high-pressure pulse can be generated. This paper investigates the formation and behavior of bubbles that appear after the high-pressure-pulse generation. A 200-mJ, second-harmonic Nd:YAG laser pulse (duration of 7 ns) is incident on a stainless steel (SUS 304) plate to form a 1.1-mm-diameter spot. A bubble is formed and expands over the spot, which generates a hemispherical blast wave around the spot. The bubble grows in a period of the order of 400 s after the laser pulse to reach a radius of about 5 mm. The behavior of the bubble is strongly affected by the thickness of the plate. When the plate thickness is 10 mm, the bubble keeps its hemispherical shape during the period of the first bounce. However, with a thin plate, for example of 0.1-mm thickness, the bubble is pinched and its head separates; moreover, another bubble is generated on the other side of the plate. Since these bubbles have different bounce motions, the acoustic field between 400 and 900 s significantly differs depending on the thickness of the plate. PACS 47.40.Nm; 68.45.-v; 42.62.Cf     

Experimental investigation of flow boiling heat transfer enhancement under ultrasound fields in a minichannel heat sink

Ultrasound is considered to be an effective active heat transfer enhancement method, which is widely used in various fields. But there is no clear understanding of flow boiling heat transfer characteristics in micro/mini-channels under ultrasonic field since the studies related are limited up to now. In this paper, a novel minichannel heat exchanger with two ultrasonic transducers inside the inlet and outlet plenum respectively is designed to experimentally investigate the impacts of ultrasound on flow boiling heat transfer enhancement in a minichannel heat sink. Flow visualization analyses reveal that ultrasound can promote rapid bubble motion, bubble detachment from heating wall surface and thereby new bubble generation, and decrease the length of confined bubble. Furthermore, the flow boiling experiments are initiated employing working fluid R141b at different ultrasonic parameters (e.g., frequency, power, angle of radiation) and heat flux under three types of ultrasound excitations: no ultrasound (NU), single inlet ultrasound (IU), inlet and outlet ultrasound (IOU). The results indicate that ultrasound has obvious augmentation effects on flow boiling heat transfer even though the intensification effects will be limited with the heat flux increases. The higher ultrasonic power, the lower ultrasonic frequency and the higher ultrasonic radiation angle, the better intensification efficiency. The maximum enhancement ratio of h_ave in the saturated boiling section reaches 1.88 at 50 W, 23 kHz and 45° under the experimental conditions. This study will be beneficial for future applications of ultrasound on flow boiling heat transfer in micro/mini-channels.     

In-situ synchrotron X-ray imaging of ultrasound (US)-generated bubbles: Influence of US frequency on microbubble cavitation for membrane fouling remediation

Gaining an in-depth understanding of the characteristics and dynamics of ultrasound (US)--generated bubbles is crucial to effectively remediate membrane fouling. The goal of present study is to conduct in-situ visualization of US-generated microbubbles in water to examine the influence of US frequency on the dynamics of microbubbles. This study utilized synchrotron in-line phase contrast imaging (In-line PCI) available at the biomedical imaging and therapy (BMIT) beamlines at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) to enhance the contrast of liquid/air interfaces at different US frequencies of 20, 28 and 40 KHz at 60 Watts. A high-speed camera was used to capture 2,000 frames per second of the bubble cavitation generated in water under the ultrasound influence. Key parameters at the polychromatic beamlines were optimized to maximize the phase contrast of gas/liquid of the microbubbles with a minimum size of 5.5 µm. ImageJ software was used to analyze the bubble characteristics and their behavior under the US exposure including the microbubble number, size, and fraction of the total area occupied by the bubbles at each US frequency. Furthermore, the bubble characteristics over the US exposure time and at different distances from the transducer were studied. The qualitative and quantitative data analyses showed that the microbubble number or size did not change over time; however, it was observed that most bubbles were created at the middle of the frames and close to the US field. The number of bubbles created under the US exposure increased with the frequency from 20 kHz to 40 kHz (about 4.6 times). However, larger bubbles were generated at 20 kHz such that the average bubble radius at 20 kHz was about 6.8 times of that at 40 kHz. Microbubble movement/traveling through water was monitored, and it was observed that the bubble velocity increased as the frequency was increased from 20 kHz to 40 kHz. The small bubbles moved faster, and the majority of them traveled upward towards the US transducer location. The growth pattern (a correlation between the mean growth ratio and the exposure time) of bubbles at 20 kHz and 60 W was obtained by tracking the oscillation of 22 representative microbubbles over the 700 ms of imaging. The mean growth ratio model was also obtained.     

Theoretical prediction of the scattering of spherical bubble clusters under ultrasonic excitation

Due to the nonlinear vibration of ultrasound contrast agent bubbles, a nonlinear scattered sound field will be generated when bubbles are driven by ultrasound. A bubble cluster consists of numerous bubbles gathering in a spherical space. It has been noted that the forward scattering of a bubble cluster is larger than its backscattering, and some studies have experimentally found the angular dependence of a bubble cluster’s scattering signal. In this paper, a theory is proposed to explain the difference of acoustic scattering at different directions of a bubble cluster when it is driven by ultrasound, and predicts the angular distribution of scattered acoustic pressure under different parameters. The theory is proved to be correct under circumstances of small clusters and weak interactions by comparing theoretical results with numerical simulations. This theory not only sheds light on the physics of bubble cluster scattering, but also may contribute to the improvement of ultrasound imaging technology, including ultrasonic harmonic imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.     

Interactions of bubbles in acoustic Lichtenberg figure

The evolution of acoustic Lichtenberg figure (ALF) in ultrasound fields is studied using high-speed photography. It is observed that bubbles travel along the branch to the aggregation region of an ALF, promoting the possibility of large bubble or small cluster formation. Large bubbles move away from the aggregation region while surrounding bubbles are attracted into this structure, and a bubble transportation cycle arises in the cavitation field. A simplified model consisting of a spherical cluster and a chain of bubbles is developed to explain this phenomenon. The interaction of the two units is analyzed using a modified expression for the secondary Bjerknes force in this system. The model reveals that clusters can attract bubbles on the chain within a distance of 2 mm, leading to a bubble transportation process from the chain to the bubble cluster. Many factors can affect this process, including the acoustic pressure, frequency, bubble density, and separation distance. The larger the bubble in the cluster, the broader the attraction region. Therefore, the presence of large bubbles might enhance the process in this system. Local disturbances in bubble density could destroy the ALF structure. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with the experimental phenomena.     

Oscillation and Migration of Bubbles within Ultrasonic Field

The oscillation and migration of bubbles within an intensive ultrasonic field are important issues concerning acoustic cavitation in liquids.We establish a selection map of bubble oscillation mode related to initial bubble radius and driving sound pressure under 20 kHz ultrasound and analyze the individual-bubble migration induced by the combined effects of pressure gradient and acoustic streaming.Our results indicate that the pressure threshold of stable and transient cavitation decreases with the increasing initial bubble radius.At the pressure antinode,the Bjerknes force dominates the bubble migration, resulting in the large bubbles gathering toward antinode center,whereas small bubbles escape from antinode.By contrast,at the pressure node,the bubble migration is primarily controlled by acoustic streaming,which effectively weakens the bubble adhesion on the container walls,thereby enhancing the cavitation effect in the whole liquid.