Level-set simulations of buoyancy-driven motion of single and multiple bubbles

This paper presents a numerical study of buoyancy-driven motion of single and multiple bubbles by means of the conservative level-set method. First, an extensive study of the hydrodynamics of single bubbles rising in a quiescent liquid is performed, including its shape, terminal velocity, drag coefficients and wake patterns. These results are validated against experimental and numerical data well established in the scientific literature. Then, a further study on the interaction of two spherical and ellipsoidal bubbles is performed for different orientation angles. Finally, the interaction of multiple bubbles is explored in a periodic vertical channel. The results show that the conservative level-set approach can be used for accurate modelling of bubble dynamics. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the present method is numerically stable for a wide range of Morton and Reynolds numbers.     

Mass transfer from a pulsating drop

The primary difficulty in solving the problem of mass transport through an isolated drop (or bubble) moving in a fluid medium at high Reynolds numbers lies in the extreme complexity of the hydrodynamic pattern of the phenomenon. For sufficiently high velocities a separation of the external flow will occur in the rear portion of the drops and bubbles, which leads to the appearance of a turbulent wake and a sharp increase of the hydrodynamic resistance. Beginning with those dimensions for which the resistance force acting per unit surface of the drop or bubble from the external medium becomes greater than the capillary pressure, the surface of the drops and bubbles begins to deform and pulsate. The local variations of the surface tension, resulting either from the process of convective diffusion or from adsorption of surface-active substances, have a large effect on the hydrodynamics of drops and bubbles (particularly on the deformation of their surface) [1, 2], The presence of vortical, and possibly even turbulent, motion within the drops and bubbles may, under certain conditions [1], lead to their fractionation.Naturally, at the present time such complex hydrodynamics cannot be described by exact quantitative relations. Several authors have attempted to solve this problem approximately within the framework of certain assumptions. In particular [3–6], a theory was developed for the boundary layer on the surface of spherical and ellipsoidal gaseous bubbles moving in a liquid, studies were made [7, 8] of the hydrodynamics of drops located in a gas flow and the conditions were found for which fractionation of such drops takes place. Of considerable practical interest is the development of the theory of mass transfer in pulsating drops and bubbles and finding in explicit form the dependence of the mass transfer coefficients on the hydrodynamic characteristics of these systems. Until this relationship is established, every theory which ignores the effect of hydrodynamics on the mass transfer rate from an individual drop or bubble cannot be considered in any way well-founded. This relates particularly to the theories [9, 10] which consider mass transfer in systems with concentrated streams of drops and bubbles. The present paper is devoted to the study of mass transport through the surface of an isolated drop in an irrotational gas or liquid stream for large Peclet numbers P.In conclusion the authors wish to thank V. G. Levich for his helpful discussions.     

电场作用下气泡上升行为特性的数值计算研究

利用电场控制气泡形态及运动,强化气液相间传热传质是电流体动力学的重要研究内容之一.然而目前多数研究集中在非电场下的气泡动力学上,对于电场下的气泡行为特性及电场的作用机制仍需开展深入研究.本研究对电场作用下单个气泡在流体中上升过程的动力学行为进行了数值模拟研究.在建立二维模型的基础上求解电场方程与Navier-Stokes方程,并采用水平集方法捕捉了上升气泡的位置及形状.模拟结果的准确性与有效性通过与前人实验和数值结果进行对比得到了验证.通过改变雷诺数、邦德数和电邦德数等不同参数研究了电场下液体黏度、表面张力和电场力对气泡运动变形的影响.计算结果表明,电场对气泡的动态特性有显著影响.非电场情况下液体黏度和表面张力较大时气泡基本维持球状,反之气泡发生变形并逐步达到稳定状态.此外,电场作用使气泡在初始上升阶段发生剧烈形变,随着不断上升,气泡形变程度不断减小,且气泡的上升速度和长径比均出现振荡.垂直电场使气泡的上升速度有较大的提高,且随着电邦德数的增大,难以达到相对稳定的状态.     

Special characteristics of the flow of a gas-liquid bubble-type mixture with small reynolds numbers

In [1, 2], as a result of measurements of the hydraulic resistance and the friction in vertical tubes, a region of the flow with anomalously high values of these quantities was disclosed. The measured values of the resistance exceed by an order of magnitude values obtained using appropriate calculating methods. This region of the flow corresponds to bubble-type flow conditions with small reduced velocities of the liquid phase. The above communications do not give a clear explanation of the observed effect. The calculating method proposed in [2], which pretends to take this effect into consideration, does not describe the experimental results of other authors, for example, the results of [1]. In the present work the limits of the existence of this set of conditions were established, and the mean and pulsational characteristics of the friction were measured. It is shown that this region of anomalously high stresses corresponds to laminar and transitional Reynolds numbers. The results of measurement of the pulsations of the friction argue the absence of flow conditions of a gas-liquid mixture without pulsations, even with very small Reynolds numbers. The article proposes the possibility of the development of the “pseudoturbulent” transverse transfer of momentum due to the oscillating motion of the bubbles in the channel. A detailed explanation of an analogous effect in the hydrodynamics of blood was given by Regirer [3].     

Spectrum of coalescing bubbles in a low-viscosity fluid

The paper considers the solution of the equation of relative motion of two spherical bubbles in a fluid for high Reynolds numbers. It is assumed that Lagrangian equations with accuracy up to terms of order (a/r)³, inclusive (a is average radius of a bubble and r distance between the centers of bubbles), are suitable for describing the relative motion up to contact. It is considered that every collision leading to direct contact of bubbles ends in coalescence. The probability of coalescence is calculated, and the kinetic equation for coalescence of bubbles is studied. It is shown that a limiting form of the spectrum is established for large times. The time of establishment of the limiting spectrum is evaluated. The instability of the monodisperse spectrum is demonstrated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No, 4, pp. 130–136, July–August, 1970.The authors are grateful to V. G. Levich for discussion of the results of the work.     

Ellipsoidal model of the rise of a Taylor bubble in a round tube

The rise velocity of long gas bubbles (Taylor bubbles) in round tubes is modeled by an ovary ellipsoidal cap bubble rising in an irrotational flow of a viscous liquid. The analysis leads to an expression for the rise velocity which depends on the aspect ratio of the model ellipsoid and the Reynolds and Eötvös numbers. The aspect ratio of the best ellipsoid is selected to give the same rise velocity as the Taylor bubble at given values of the Eötvös and Reynolds numbers. The analysis leads to a prediction of the shape of the ovary ellipsoid which rises with same velocity as the Taylor bubble.     

Effect of bubbles on the turbulence near the exit of a liquid jet

The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of bubbles on the turbulence levels of a water jet. Simultaneous measurements of the axial and radial velocity components were taken in a bubbly jet with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) and then compared to the velocities of a single phase jet at the same liquid flow rate. Mean bubble diameters ranged from 0.6 to 2 mm and the void fractions were up to about 20%. The liquid Reynolds numbers were from 5,000 to 10,000 approximately. The measurements extended to from an axial distance of 4–12 cm. It was observed that bubbles did not affect significantly the average velocity profiles in the jet. However bubbles increased the turbulence intensities in the core of the jet near the jet exit. The increase in turbulence intensities was more pronounced at lower Reynolds numbers and at higher void fractions.     

Calcul approché de la trainée d'une bulle sphérique de gaz mise brusquement en ascension dans un liquide

An analysis is made for a gas bubble impulsively started to rise with a constant velocity in a quiescent liquid of infinite extent. Satisfactory results for the total drag force are obtained for spherical air bubbles in water, provided that the method developed here is applied at early times, the flow separation is negligible and the Reynolds number R_e is sufficiently large.     

Dispersion of Gas Bubbles in Large-Scale Homogeneous Isotropic Turbulence

An approximate analysis is given of the dispersion of gas bubbles that rise at large Reynolds number through large-scale homogeneous, isotropic turbulence, characterized by the Kraichnan energy-spectrum function. A fairly well-established equation of motion of the bubbles, originally proposed by Thomas et al. [16], is used to derive a closed set of equations for the components of the dispersion tensor of the bubbles in a manner analogous to that used by Saffman [12] for fluid particles and by Pismen and Nir [10, 11] for solid particles. The equations are then solved to obtain the diffusivities and the intensities of bubble velocity fluctuations. Analytical solutions are compared with results from simulations of the bubble motion in a Gaussian random velocity field.     

Slip velocity measurements in an upward bubbly flow by combined LDA and electrodiffusional techniques

 An experimental technique for the measurement of the local slip velocity of spherical bubbles is reported. It is based on the measurement of the local liquid velocity by an electrodiffusional method, and the bubble velocity by a specially adapted LDA (Laser Doppler anemometer) with a short measuring volume. The bubble velocity is measured taking into account the shift between the bubble centre and the centre of the LDA measuring volume. The slip velocity is obtained by subtracting the liquid velocity from the bubble velocity at the point corresponding to the bubble centre. The technique is applicable for flows with high velocity gradients. Results of the slip velocity measurements in an upward bubbly flow at laminar pipe Reynolds numbers are presented. Received: 25 July 1996/Accepted: 13 April 1998     

Mass transfer during gas absorption in a vertical gas-liquid slug flow with small bubbles in liquid plugs

A model is developed for the analysis of mass transfer during isothermal absorption in a vertical gas-liquid slug flow at large Reynolds numbers with liquid plugs containing small bubbles. Simple formulas for mass flux from the N-th unit cell of gas-liquid slug flow and for total mass flux from N unit cells are derived. In the limiting case the derived formulas for mass transfer during gas absorption in a slug flow with liquid plugs containing small bubbles recover the derived expressions for mass transfer in slug flow without small bubbles in the liquid plugs. Using the developed model recommendations concerning the design of the absorber operating in a slug flow regime are suggested. Received on 28 July 1997     

Vortex dynamics mechanisms of separated boundary layer in a highly loaded low pressure turbine cascade

This paper investigates the vortex dynamics in the suction-side boundary layer on an aero-engine low pressure turbine blade at two different Reynolds numbers at which short and long laminar separation bubbles occur. Different vortical patterns are observed and investigated through large eddy simulation (LES). The results show that at the higher Reynolds number, streamwise streaks exist upstream of separation line. These streaks initiate spanwise undulation in the form of vortex tubes, which roll-up and shed from the shear layer due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. The vortex tubes alternately pair together and eventually distort and break down to small-scale turbulence structures near the mean reattachment location and convect into a fully turbulent boundary layer. At the lower Reynolds number, streamwise streaks are strong and the separated flow is unable to reattach to the blade surface immediately after transition to turbulence. Therefore, bursting of short bubbles into long bubbles can occur, and vortex tubes have larger diameters and cover a part of the blade span. In this case vortex pairing does not occur and vortex shedding process is promoted mainly by flapping phenomenon. Moreover, the results of dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) analysis show a breathing motion as a source of unsteadiness in the separation location, which is accompanied by the flapping phenomenon.     

Motion and filling of cavities in a boundless liquid and close to a plane

The motion of bubbles in liquids has been studied in many earlier papers [1–8]. In this paper methods of the projection type are applied to the problem of a cavity in an ideal, incompressible liquid in the absence of vortices. The collapse of a bubble having a finite initial velocity in a boundless liquid is considered; also considered is the collapse of a stationary bubble close to a solid wall. Using the small-parameter method the generation of a jet is examined analytically. A numerical computing method not involving small parameters is developed; it is based on calculating the projection by numerical computation of the corresponding integrals. The method combines economy and simplicity of application with a high accuracy in the region in which the representation of the velocity potential by a series of spherical functions remains effective.