Numerical study on the interaction of two bubbles rising side-by-side in viscous liquids

H. Mirsandi, G. Kong, K.A. Buist, M.W. Baltussen (Corresponding author), E.A.J.F. Peters, J.A.M. Kuipers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The hydrodynamic interaction of two bubbles released from submerged orifices was simulated using a 3D front-tracking type technique called the Local Front Reconstruction Method (LFRM). The effects of fluid properties and orifice spacing on the bubble trajectory, the interaction between two bubbles, and the vortex shedding pattern were investigated. Different types of interaction behaviors, which were observed in experiments by Kong et al. (2019), could be replicated by varying the liquid viscosity. The simulation results revealed that bubbles at low Reynolds number repel each other because the diffusion of vorticity at the bubble surface is blocked and becomes asymmetric due to the presence of a neighboring bubble. In contrast, at medium and high Reynolds numbers, the bubbles attract each other after their detachment from the orifices, and their subsequent possible bouncing depends on the orifice spacing. The bubble pair will feature a zigzagging motion while rising when double-threaded vortices are generated behind the bubble.
Original languageEnglish
Article number128257
Number of pages13
JournalChemical Engineering Journal
Volume410
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2021

Funding

This work is part of the Industrial Partnership Programme i36 Dense Bubbly Flows that is carried out under an agreement between Nouryon Chemicals International B.V., DSM Innovation Center B.V., SABIC Global Technologies B.V., Shell Global Solutions International B.V., Tata Steel Nederland Technology B.V. and Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), which is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). This work was carried out on the Dutch national e-infrastructure with the support of SURF Cooperative. The authors thank SURF SARA (www.surfsara.nl) and NWO for the support in using the Cartesius supercomputer.

FundersFunder number
Tata Steel Europe Ltd.
Shell Global Solutions B.V.
Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

    Keywords

    • Bubble formation
    • Bubble interaction
    • Bubble rising
    • Local Front Reconstruction Method
    • Numerical simulation

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