Effect of Microbubble Gas Saturation on Near-Wall Turbulence and Drag Reduction

The article presents results of an experimental study of the effect of gravitational orientation of the flow along its lower/upper solid boundaries on reduction of turbulent drag and void fraction profiles with injection of gas through a porous channel wall. The shear stress on the wall was measured in the Reynolds number range Re_x = (0.23–1.1) × 10⁷ by floating element transducers; the void fraction profile was determined using a fiber-optic sensor. The void fraction in the inner (near-wall) region of the boundary layer was shown to be a key parameter for turbulent drag reduction. The size of the inner region depends on the gas flow rate, the fluid velocity, the distance downstream of the gas generator, and the gravitational orientation of the wall.