Ultrasonic cavitation at liquid/solid interface in a thin Ga–In liquid layer with free surface

Cavitation in thin layer of liquid metal has potential applications in chemical reaction, soldering, extraction, and therapeutic equipment. In this work, the cavitation characteristics and acoustic pressure of a thin liquid Ga–In alloy were studied by high speed photography, numerical simulation, and bubble dynamics calculation. A self-made ultrasonic system with a TC4 sonotrode, was operated at a frequency of 20 kHz and a max output power of 1000 W during the cavitation recording experiment. The pressure field characteristic inside the thin liquid layer and its influence on the intensity, types, dimensions, and life cycles of cavitation bubbles and on the cavitation evolution process against experimental parameters were systematically studied. The results showed that acoustic pressure inside the thin liquid layer presented alternating positive and negative characteristics within 1 acoustic period (T). Cavitation bubbles nucleated and grew during the negative-pressure stage and shrank and collapsed during the positive-pressure stage. A high bubble growth speed of 16.8 m/s was obtained and evidenced by bubble dynamics calculation. The maximum absolute pressure was obtained at the bottom of the thin liquid layer and resulted in the strongest cavitation. Cavitation was divided into violent and weak stages. The violent cavitation stage lasted several hundreds of acoustic periods and had higher bubble intensity than the weak cavitation stage. Cavitation cloud preferentially appeared during the violent cavitation stage and had a life of several acoustic periods. Tiny cavitation bubbles with life cycles shorter than 1 T dominated the cavitation field. High cavitation intensities were observed at high ultrasonication power and when Q235B alloy was used because such conditions lead to high amplitudes on the substrate and further high acoustic pressure inside the liquid.     

球状泡群内气泡的耦合振动

振动气泡形成辐射场影响其他气泡的运动, 故多气泡体系中气泡处于耦合振动状态. 本文在气泡群振动模型的基础上, 考虑气泡间耦合振动的影响, 得到了均匀球状泡群内振动气泡的动力学方程, 以此为基础分析了气泡的非线性声响应特征. 气泡间的耦合振动增加了系统对每个气泡的约束, 降低了气泡的自然共振频率, 增强了气泡的非线性声响应. 随着气泡数密度的增加, 振动气泡受到的抑制增强; 增加液体静压力同样可抑制泡群内气泡的振动, 且存在静压力敏感区(1–2 atm, 1 atm=1.01325×10⁵ Pa); 驱动声波对气泡振动影响很大, 随着声波频率的增加, 能够形成空化影响的气泡尺度范围变窄. 在同样的声条件、泡群尺寸以及气泡内外环境下, 初始半径小于5 μm 的气泡具有较强的声响应. 气泡耦合振动会削弱单个气泡的空化影响, 但可延长多气泡系统空化泡崩溃发生的时间间隔和增大作用范围, 整体空化效应增强.     

Fluid dynamics phenomena induced by power ultrasounds

Propagation of power ultrasound (from 20 to 800 kHz) through a liquid inside a cylindrical reactor initiates acoustic cavitation and also fluid dynamics phenomena such as free surface deformation, convection, acoustic streaming, etc. Mathematical modelling is performed as a new approach to predict where active bubbles are and how intense cavitation is. A calculation based on fluid dynamics equations is undertaken using computational fluid dynamics code; this is of great interest because such code provides not only the pressure field but also velocity and temperature fields. The link between the acoustic pressure and the cavitation field is clearly established. Moreover, the pressure profile near a free surface allows one to predict the shape of the acoustic fountain. The influence of the acoustic fountain on the wave propagation is shown to be important. The convective flow inside a reactor is numerically obtained and agrees well with particle image velocity measurements. Non-linearities arising from the dissipation of the acoustic wave are computed and lead to the calculation of the acoustic streaming. The superimposed velocity field (convective flow and acoustic streaming) succeeds in simulating the bubble behaviour at 500 kHz, for instance.     

Theoretical estimation of sonochemical yield in bubble cluster in acoustic field

In order to learn more about the physical phenomena occurring in cloud cavitation, the nonlinear dynamics of a spherical cluster of cavitation bubbles and cavitation bubbles in cluster in an acoustic field excited by a square pressure wave are numerically investigated by considering viscosity, surface tension, and the weak compressibility of the liquid.The theoretical prediction of the yield of oxidants produced inside bubbles during the strong collapse stage of cavitation bubbles is also investigated. The effects of acoustic frequency, acoustic pressure amplitude, and the number of bubbles in cluster on bubble temperature and the quantity of oxidants produced inside bubbles are analyzed. The results show that the change of acoustic frequency, acoustic pressure amplitude, and the number of bubbles in cluster have an effect not only on temperature and the quantity of oxidants inside the bubble, but also on the degradation types of pollutants, which provides a guidance in improving the sonochemical degradation of organic pollutants.     

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.     

Spatial-temporal dynamics of cavitation bubble clouds in 1.2 MHz focused ultrasound field

Cavitation bubbles have been recognized as being essential to many applications of ultrasound. Temporal evolution and spatial distribution of cavitation bubble clouds induced by a focused ultrasound transducer of 1.2 MHz center frequency are investigated by high-speed photography. It is revealed that at a total acoustic power of 72 W the cavitation bubble cloud first emerges in the focal region where cavitation bubbles are observed to generate, grow, merge and collapse during the initial 600 μs. The bubble cloud then grows upward to the post-focal region, and finally becomes visible in the pre-focal region. The structure of the final bubble cloud is characterized by regional distribution of cavitation bubbles in the ultrasound field. The cavitation bubble cloud structure remains stable when the acoustic power is increased from 25 W to 107 W, but it changes to a more violent form when the acoustic power is further increased to 175 W.     

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.     

Theoretical prediction of the yield of strong oxides under acoustic cavitation

Considering liquid viscosity, surface tension, and liquid compressibility, the effects of dynamical behaviors of cavitation bubbles on temperature and the amount of oxides inside the bubble are numerically investigated by acoustic field,regarding water as a work medium. The effects of acoustic frequency, acoustic pressure amplitude, and driving waveforms on bubble temperature and the number of oxides inside the bubbles by rapid collapse of cavitation bubbles are analysed.The results show that the changes of acoustic frequency, acoustic pressure amplitude, and driving waveforms not only have an effect on temperature and the number of oxides inside the bubble, but also influence the degradation species of pollution,which provides guidance for improving the degradation of water pollution.     

Interaction of a bubble and a bubble cluster in an ultrasonic field

Using an appropriate approximation, we have formulated the interacting equation of multi-bubble motion for a system of a single bubble and a spherical bubble cluster. The behavior of the bubbles is observed in coupled and uncoupled states. The oscillation of bubbles inside the cluster is in a coupled state. The numerical simulation demonstrates that the secondary Bjerknes force can be influenced by the number density, initial radius, distance, driving frequency, and amplitude of ultrasound. However, if a bubble approaches a bubble cluster of the same initial radii, coupled oscillation would be induced and a repulsive force is evoked, which may be the reason why the bubble cluster can exist steadily. With the increment of the number density of the bubble cluster, a secondary Bjerknes force acting on the bubbles inside the cluster decreases due to the strong suppression of the coupled bubbles. It is shown that there may be an optimal number density for a bubble cluster which can generate an optimal cavitation effect in liquid for a stable driving ultrasound.     

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.     

Bubble size distribution in acoustic droplet vaporization via dissolution using an ultrasound wide-beam method

Performance and efficiency of numerous cavitation enhanced applications in a wide range of areas depend on the cavitation bubble size distribution. Therefore, cavitation bubble size estimation would be beneficial for biological and industrial applications that rely on cavitation. In this study, an acoustic method using a wide beam with low pressure is proposed to acquire the time intensity curve of the dissolution process for the cavitation bubble population and then determine the bubble size distribution. Dissolution of the cavitation bubbles in saline and in phase-shift nanodroplet emulsion diluted with undegassed or degassed saline was obtained to quantify the effects of pulse duration (PD) and acoustic power (AP) or peak negative pressure (PNP) of focused ultrasound on the size distribution of induced cavitation bubbles. It was found that an increase of PD will induce large bubbles while AP had only a little effect on the mean bubble size in saline. It was also recognized that longer PD and higher PNP increases the proportions of large and small bubbles, respectively, in suspensions of phase-shift nanodroplet emulsions. Moreover, degassing of the suspension tended to bring about smaller mean bubble size than the undegassed suspension. In addition, condensation of cavitation bubble produced in diluted suspension of phase-shift nanodroplet emulsion was involved in the calculation to discuss the effect of bubble condensation in the bubble size estimation in acoustic droplet vaporization. It was shown that calculation without considering the condensation might underestimate the mean bubble size and the calculation with considering the condensation might have more influence over the size distribution of small bubbles, but less effect on that of large bubbles. Without or with considering bubble condensation, the accessible minimum bubble radius was 0.4 or 1.7 μm and the step size was 0.3 μm. This acoustic technique provides an approach to estimate the size distribution of cavitation bubble population in opaque media and might be a promising tool for applications where it is desirable to tune the ultrasound parameters to control the size distribution of cavitation bubbles.     

Numerical simulations of stable cavitation bubble generation and primary Bjerknes forces in a three-dimensional nonlinear phased array focused ultrasound field

We present a model developed for studying the generation of stable cavitation bubbles and their motion in a three-dimensional volume of liquid with axial symmetry under the effect of finite-amplitude phased array focused ultrasound. The density of bubbles per unit volume is determined by a nonlinear law which is a threshold-dependent function of the negative acoustic pressure reached in the liquid, in which nuclei are initially distributed. The nonlinear mutual interaction of ultrasound and bubble oscillations is modeled by a nonlinear coupled differential system formed by the wave and a Rayleigh-Plesset equations, for which both the pressure and the bubble oscillation variables are unknown. The system, which accounts for nonlinearity, dispersion, and attenuation due to the bubbles, is solved by numerical approximations. The nonlinear acoustic pressure field is then used to evaluate the primary Bjerknes force field and to predict the subsequent motion of bubbles. In order to illustrate the procedure, a medium-high and a low ultrasonic frequency configurations are assumed. Simulation results show where bubbles are generated, the nonlinear effects they have on ultrasound, and where they are relocated. Despite many physical restrictions and thanks to its particularities (two nonlinear coupled fields, bubble generation, bubble motion), the numerical model used in this work gives results that show qualitative coherence with data observed experimentally in the framework of stable cavitation and suggest their usefulness in some application contexts.     

Effects of surface tension on the dynamics of a single micro bubble near a rigid wall in an ultrasonic field

Acoustic cavitation is a very important hydrodynamic phenomenon, and is often implicated in a myriad of industrial, medical, and daily living applications. In these applications, the effect mechanism of liquid surface tension on improving the efficiency of acoustic cavitation is a crucial concern for researchers. In this study, the effects of liquid surface tension on the dynamics of an ultrasonic driven bubble near a rigid wall, which could be the main mechanism of efficiency improvement in the applications of acoustic cavitation, were investigated at the microscale level. A synchronous high-speed microscopic imaging method was used to clearly record the temporary evolution of single acoustic cavitation bubble in the liquids with different surface tension. Meanwhile, the bubble dynamic characteristics, such as the position and time of bubble collapse, the size and stability of the bubbles, the speed of bubble boundaries and the micro-jets, were analyzed and compared. In the case of the single bubbles near a rigid wall, it was found that low surface tension reduces the stability of the bubbles in the liquid medium. Meanwhile, the bubbles collapse earlier and farther from the rigid wall in the liquids with lower surface tension. In addition, the surface tension has no significant influence on the speed of the first micro-jet, but it can substantially increase the speed of second and the third micro-jets after the first collapse of the bubble. These effects of liquid surface tension on the bubble dynamics can explain the mechanism of surfactants in numerous fields of acoustic cavitation for facilitating its optimization and application.     

Effects of medium viscoelasticity on bubble collapse strength of interacting polydisperse bubbles

Due to its physical and/or chemical effects, acoustic cavitation plays a crucial role in various emerging applications ranging from advanced materials to biomedicine. The cavitation bubbles usually undergo oscillatory dynamics and violent collapse within a viscoelastic medium, which are closely related to the cavitation-associated effects. However, the role of medium viscoelasticity on the cavitation dynamics has received little attention, especially for the bubble collapse strength during multi-bubble cavitation with the complex interactions between size polydisperse bubbles. In this study, modified Gilmore equations accounting for inter-bubble interactions were coupled with the Zener viscoelastic model to simulate the dynamics of multi-bubble cavitation in viscoelastic media. Results showed that the cavitation dynamics (e.g., acoustic resonant response, nonlinear oscillation behavior and bubble collapse strength) of differently-sized bubbles depend differently on the medium viscoelasticity and each bubble is affected by its neighboring bubbles to a different degree. More specifically, increasing medium viscosity drastically dampens the bubble dynamics and weakens the bubble collapse strength, while medium elasticity mainly affects the bubble resonance at which the bubble collapse strength is maximum. Differently-sized bubbles can achieve resonances and even subharmonic resonances at high driving acoustic pressures as the elasticity changes to certain values, and the resonance frequency of each bubble increases with the elasticity increasing. For the interactions between the size polydisperse bubbles, it indicated that the largest bubble generally has a dominant effect on the dynamics of smaller ones while in turn it is almost unaffected, exhibiting a pattern of destructive and constructive interactions. This study provides a valuable insight into the acoustic cavitation dynamics of multiple interacting polydisperse bubbles in viscoelastic media, which may offer a potential of controlling the medium viscoelasticity to appropriately manipulate the dynamics of multi-bubble cavitation for achieving proper cavitation effects according to the desired application.     

声场中水力空化泡的动力学特性

以水为工作介质,考虑了液体黏性、表面张力、可压缩性及湍流作用等情况,对文丘里管反应器中空化泡在声场作用下的动力学行为特性进行了数值研究.分析了超声波频率、声压及喉径比对空化泡运动特性以及空化泡崩溃时所形成泡温以及压力脉冲的影响.结果表明,超声将水力空化泡运动调制成稳态空化,有利于增强空化效果. 关键词： 超声波 水力空化 湍流 气泡动力学     

声驻波场中空化泡的动力学特性

以水为工作介质, 考虑了液体的可压缩性, 研究了驻波声场中空化泡的运动特性, 模拟了驻波场中各位置处空化泡的运动状态以及相关参数对各位置处空化泡在主Bjerknes力作用下运动方向的影响. 结果表明: 驻波声场中, 空化泡的运动状态分为三个区域, 即在声压波腹附近空化泡做稳态空化, 在偏离波腹处空化泡做瞬态空化, 在声压波节附近, 空化泡在主Bjerknes 力作用下, 一直向声压波节处移动, 显示不发生空化现象; 驻波场中声压幅值增加有利于空化的发生, 但声压幅值增加到一定上限时, 压力波腹区域将排斥空化泡, 并驱赶空化泡向压力波节移动, 不利于空化现象的发生; 当声频率小于初始空化泡的共振频率时, 声频率越高, 由于主Bjerknes 力的作用将有更多的空化泡向声压波节移动, 不利于空化的发生, 尤其是驻波场液面的高度不应是声波波长的1/4; 当声频率一定时, 空化泡初始半径越大越有利于空化现象的发生, 但当空化泡的初始半径超过声频率的共振半径时, 由于主Bjerknes力的作用将有更多的空化泡向声压波节移动, 不利于空化的发生.     

Optical and acoustic monitoring of bubble cloud dynamics at a tissue-fluid interface in ultrasound tissue erosion

Short, high-intensity ultrasound pulses have the ability to achieve localized, clearly demarcated erosion in soft tissue at a tissue-fluid interface. The primary mechanism for ultrasound tissue erosion is believed to be acoustic cavitation. To monitor the cavitating bubble cloud generated at a tissue-fluid interface, an optical attenuation method was used to record the intensity loss of transmitted light through bubbles. Optical attenuation was only detected when a bubble cloud was seen using high speed imaging. The light attenuation signals correlated well with a temporally changing acoustic backscatter which is an excellent indicator for tissue erosion. This correlation provides additional evidence that the cavitating bubble cloud is essential for ultrasound tissue erosion. The bubble cloud collapse cycle and bubble dissolution time were studied using the optical attenuation signals. The collapse cycle of the bubble cloud generated by a high intensity ultrasound pulse of 4-14 micros was approximately 40-300 micros depending on the acoustic parameters. The dissolution time of the residual bubbles was tens of ms long. This study of bubble dynamics may provide further insight into previous ultrasound tissue erosion results.     

Effect of dissolved gases in water on acoustic cavitation and bubble growth rate in 0.83 MHz megasonic of interest to wafer cleaning

Changes in the cavitation intensity of gases dissolved in water, including H₂, N₂, and Ar, have been established in studies of acoustic bubble growth rates under ultrasonic fields. Variations in the acoustic properties of dissolved gases in water affect the cavitation intensity at a high frequency (0.83 MHz) due to changes in the rectified diffusion and bubble coalescence rate. It has been proposed that acoustic bubble growth rates rapidly increase when water contains a gas, such as hydrogen faster single bubble growth due to rectified diffusion, and a higher rate of coalescence under Bjerknes forces. The change of acoustic bubble growth rate in rectified diffusion has an effect on the damping constant and diffusivity of gas at the acoustic bubble and liquid interface. It has been suggested that the coalescence reaction of bubbles under Bjerknes forces is a reaction determined by the compressibility and density of dissolved gas in water associated with sound velocity and density in acoustic bubbles. High acoustic bubble growth rates also contribute to enhanced cavitation effects in terms of dissolved gas in water. On the other hand, when Ar gas dissolves into water under ultrasound field, cavitation behavior was reduced remarkably due to its lower acoustic bubble growth rate. It is shown that change of cavitation intensity in various dissolved gases were verified through cleaning experiments in the single type of cleaning tool such as particle removal and pattern damage based on numerically calculated acoustic bubble growth rates.     

导电流体中气泡径向振动行为的磁场控制

液态金属中气泡行为是磁流体力学的重要方面。为对磁场条件下导电流体中气泡动力学行为作全面理解,基于磁流体动力学方法建立了磁场条件下导电流体中气泡径向振动的无量纲化动力学方程,数值研究了磁场对导电流体中气泡径向非线性振动稳定性、泡内温度、泡内气压及液体空化阈值的影响。结果显示:磁场增强了气泡非线性振动的稳定性,随着磁场增强且当作用在泡上的电磁力与惯性力数量级可比时,气泡运动为稳定的周期性振动;同时,磁场引起泡内温度、泡内压力及液体空化阈值变化。研究表明,可用磁场调节和控制液态金属中气泡的运动使其满足工程应用需求。      

A dual passive cavitation detector for localized detection of lithotripsy-induced cavitation in vitro

A passive cavitation detector (PCD) identifies cavitation events by sensing acoustic emissions generated by the collapse of bubbles. In this work, a dual passive cavitation detector (dual PCD), consisting of a pair of orthogonal confocal receivers, is described for use in shock wave lithotripsy. Cavitation events are detected by both receivers and can be localized to within 5 mm by the nature of the small intersecting volume of the focal areas of the two receivers in association with a coincidence detection algorithm. A calibration technique, based on the impulse response of the transducer, was employed to estimate radiated pressures at collapse near the bubble. Results are presented for the in vitro cavitation fields of both a clinical and a research electrohydraulic lithotripter. The measured lifetime of the primary growth-and-collapse of the cavitation bubbles increased from 180 to 420 microseconds as the power setting was increased from 12 to 24 kV. The measured lifetime compared well with calculations based on the Gilmore-Akulichev formulation for bubble dynamics. The radiated acoustic pressure 10 mm from the collapsing cavitation bubble was measured to vary from 4 to 16 MPa with increasing power setting; although the trends agreed with calculations, the predicted values were four times larger than measured values. The axial length of the cavitation field correlated well with the 6-dB region of the acoustic field. However, the width of the cavitation field (10 mm) was significantly narrower than the acoustic field (25 mm) as bubbles appeared to be drawn to the acoustic axis during the collapse. The dual PCD also detected signals from "rebounds," secondary and tertiary growth-and-collapse cycles. The measured rebound time did not agree with calculations from the single-bubble model. The rebounds could be fitted to a Rayleigh collapse model by considering the entire bubble cloud as an effective single bubble. The results from the dual PCD agreed well with images from high-speed photography. The results indicate that single-bubble theory is sufficient to model lithotripsy cavitation dynamics up to time of the main collapse, but that upon collapse bubble cloud dynamics becomes important.