Dissolution of an ellipsoidal bubble in a slightly viscous liquid

The steady-state velocity, the degree of deformation, and the convective-diffusion-limited rate of quasisteady-state growth (or dissolution) are considered for gas bubbles having shapes close to those of spheres or disks. It is assumed that there are no surface-active substances in the liquid. A qualitative agreement is found between the calculated dissolution rate and the experimental data.Notation a radius of the sphere of equivalent volume - u bubble velocity with respect to the still liquid at infinity - kinematic viscosity of the liquid - liquid density - D gas diffusion coefficient in the liquid - surface tension - g gravitational acceleration - d R=2au/]-Reynolds number - e P=2au/D]-Peclet number - f W=2au²/]-Weber number The author thanks V. G. Levich for a discussion of these results.