Local Measurement of Gas-Liquid Bubbly Flow with a Double-Sensor Probe

A double-sensor probe was used to measure local interfacial parameters of a gas-liquid bubbly flow in a horizontal tube. The parameters included void fraction, interfacial concentration, bubble size distribution, bubble frequency and bubble interface velocity. The authors paid special attention to the probe design and construction for minimizing measurement errors. Measures were also taken in the design of sensor ends for preventing corrosions in the flow. This is an effort to improve the current double-sensor probe technique to meet the ever-increasing needs to local parameter measurements in gas-liquid two-phase flows.

Visualisation of air–water bubbly column flow using array Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler

In the present work, an experimental study of bubbly two-phase flow in a rectangular bubble column was performed using two ultrasonic array sensors, which can measure the instantaneous velocity of gas bubbles on multiple measurement lines. After the sound pressure distribution of sensors had been evaluated with a needle hydrophone technique, the array sensors were applied to two-phase bubble col- umn, To assess the accuracy of the measurement system with array sensors for one and two-dimensional velocity, a simultaneous measurement was performed with an optical measurement technique called particle image velocimetry （PIV）. Experimental results showed that accuracy of the measurement system with array sensors is under 10% for one-dimensional velocity profile measurement compared with PIV technique. The accuracy of the system was estimated to be under 20% along the mean flow direction in the case of two-dimensional vector mapping.

Numerical Simulation on Ship Bubbly Wake

Based on a volume of fluid two-phase model imbedded in the general computational fluid dynamics code FLUENT6.3.26, the viscous flow with free surface around a model-scaled KRISO container ship （KCS） was first numerically simulated. Then with a rigid-lid-free-surface method, the underwater flow field was computed based on the mixture muitiphase model to simulate the bubbly wake around the KCS hull. The realizable k-e two-equation turbulence model and Reynolds stress model were used to analyze the effects of turbulence model on the ship bubbly wake. The air entrainment model, which is relative to the normal velocity gradient of the free surface, and the solving method were verified by the qualitatively reasonable computed results.

Sound Scattering From Rough Bubbly Ocean Surface Based on Modified Sea Surface Acoustic Simulator and Consideration of Various Incident Angles and Sub-surface Bubbles＇ Radii

The aim of the present study is to improve the capabilities and precision of a recently introduced Sea Surface Acoustic Simulator(SSAS) developed based on optimization of the Helmholtz–Kirchhoff–Fresnel(HKF) method. The improved acoustic simulator, hereby known as the Modified SSAS(MSSAS), is capable of determining sound scattering from the sea surface and includes an extended Hall–Novarini model and optimized HKF method. The extended Hall–Novarini model is used for considering the effects of sub-surface bubbles over a wider range of radii of sub-surface bubbles compared to the previous SSAS version. Furthermore, MSSAS has the capability of making a three-dimensional simulation of scattered sound from the rough bubbly sea surface with less error than that of the Critical Sea Tests(CST) experiments. Also, it presents scattered pressure levels from the rough bubbly sea surface based on various incident angles of sound. Wind speed, frequency, incident angle, and pressure level of the sound source are considered as input data, and scattered pressure levels and scattering coefficients are provided. Finally, different parametric studies were conducted on wind speeds, frequencies, and incident angles to indicate that MSSAS is quite capable of simulating sound scattering from the rough bubbly sea surface, according to the scattering mechanisms determined by Ogden and Erskine. Therefore, it is concluded that MSSAS is valid for both scattering mechanisms and the transition region between them that are defined by Ogden and Erskine.

Effects of bubbly flow on bending moment acting on the shaft of a gas sparged vessel stirred by a Rushton turbine

The bending moment acting on the overhung shaft of a gas-sparged vessel stirred by a Rushton turbine,as one of the results of fluid and structure interactions in stirred vessels,was measured using a moment sensor equipped with digital telemetry.An analysis of the shaft bending moment amplitude shows that the amplitude distribution of the bending moment,which indicates the elasticity nature of shaft material against bending deformation,follows the Weibull distribution.The trends of amplitude mean,standard deviation and peak deviation characteristics manifest an "S" shape versus gas flow.The "S" trend of the relative mean bending moment over gas flow rate,depending on the flow regime in gas-liquid stirred vessels,resulted from the competition among the nonuniformity of bubbly flow around the impeller,the formation of gas cavities behind the blades,and the gas direct impact on the impeller when gas is introduced.A further analysis of the bending moment power spectral density shows that the rather low frequency and speed frequency are evident.The low-frequency contribution to bending moment fluctuation peaks in the complete dispersion regime.

STUDY ON THE INFLUENCES OF BUBBLY OIL ON THE CAVITATION EROSION IN JOURNAL BEARINGS OF ENGINES

A simulating experimental device for journal bearings of engines is established by use of the mechanism of ultrasonic vibration This device can make the pressure inside the oil film changed at ultrasonic frequency,which enable the specimen surface to be damaged by cavitation erosion in a comparatively short time Connecting with the bubbly oil producing device,this rig can investigate the influence of bubbly oil on the cavitation erosion Through detailed experimental research it is found that the bubbly oil decreases the cavitation erosion in journal bearings of engines This result is analyzed reasonably from mechanism of cavitation erosion.

Valid Regions of Formulas of Sound Speed in Bubbly Liquids

There are numerous formulae relating to the predictions of sound wave in the cavitating and bubbly flows. However, tile valid regions of those formulae are rather unclear from the view point of physics. In this work, the validity of the existing formulae is discussed in terms of three regions by employing the analysis of three typical lengths involved （viscous length, thermal diffusion length and bubble radius）. In our discussions, viscosity and thermal diffusion are both considered together with the effects of relative motion between bubbles and liquids. The importance of relative motion and thermal diffusion are quantitatively discussed in a wide range of parameter zones （including bubble radius and acoustic frequency）, The results show that for large bubbles, the effects of relative motion will be prominent in a wide region.

A Comparative Study of Closure Relations for CFD Modelling of Bubbly Flow in a Vertical Pipe

Commercial code CFX was used to examine the performance of a two-fluid model to predict the details of upward isothermal bubbly flow of air and water in a vertical pipe. The model equations are volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equations that require closure models for interfacial forces and bubble-induced turbulence effects. Two-equation SST and k-epsilon RANS turbulence models were also used. A parametric study of closure models included both standard options in CFX and previously published novel closure models that were implemented with user-defined functions. The CFD simulations were compared with two cases from the MTLoop experiments by Lucas et al. at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf: one with wall-peak void fraction profile (MT039), and another with a core-peak void fraction profile (MT118). The effect of changing the drag force closures was not significant for the set examined. Poor predictions were found when the lift force and wall lubrication models were incompatible in magnitude. There was no significant effect of changing the liquid phase turbulence model. Changing the bubble-induced turbulence models, however, had a significant impact on the radial void fraction profile. The novel wall force from Lubchenko et al. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology significantly improved the prediction of the near wall void fraction in the wall peak profile.

Eulerian–Lagrangian simulation of bubble coalescence in bubbly flow using the spring-dashpot model

The Eulerian–Lagrangian simulation of bubbly flow has the advantage of tracking the motion of bubbles in continuous fluid, and hence the position and velocity of each bubble could be accurately acquired. Previous simulation usually used the hard-sphere model for bubble–bubble interactions, assuming that bubbles are rigid spheres and the collisions between bubbles are instantaneous. The bubble contact time during collision processes is not directly taken into account in the collision model. However, the contact time is physically a prerequisite for bubbles to coalesce, and should be long enough for liquid film drainage. In this work we applied the spring-dashpot model to model the bubble collisions and the bubble contact time, and then integrated the spring-dashpot model with the film drainage model for coalescence and a bubble breakage model. The bubble contact time is therefore accurately recorded during the collisions. We investigated the performance of the spring-dashpot model and the effect of the normal stiffness coefficient on bubble coalescence in the simulation.The results indicate that the spring-dashpot model together with the bubble coalescence and breakage model could reasonably reproduce the two-phase flow field, bubble coalescence and bubble size distribution. The influence of normal stiffness coefficient on simulation is also discussed.

A lubrication model for bubbly oil lubrication with interfacial effect and thermal effect using the theory of multiphase mixtures

Bubbly oil lubrication is a type of lubrication method.However,the lubrication model of the bubbly oil has not been thoroughly considered.This paper aims to investigate the modelling for bubbly oil lubrication considering the interfacial effect and thermal effect,and a theoretical model is established based on the theory of multiphase mixtures.The interfacial and thermal effects on the static characteristics of a thrust bearing are analyzed.A test rig for the thrust bearing is developed to measure the static characteristics of the bearing under bubbly oil lubrication.The results show that the bearing static characteristics,i.e.bearing temperature rise,film thickness,friction torque,and volume flow,increase with consideration of three interfacial effects;the bearing temperature rise increases but the film thickness,friction torque,and volume flow rate decrease with consideration of the three thermal effects;the thermal effect on the bearing static characteristics is greater than the interfacial effect.

PARAMETRIC STUDY ON THE THRUST OF BUBBLY WATER RAMJET WITH A CONVERGING-DIVERGING NOZZLE

To predict the thrust of bubbly water ramjet with a converging-diverging nozzle, the physical processes occurring in the diffuser, mixing chamber and nozzle were analyzed. The mathematical models were constructed separately under the restrictions of certain assumptions. The bubbly nozzle flow was examined using a two-fluid model and accomplished by specifying the water velocity distribution in the nozzle. The numerical analysis of flow field in the nozzle shows that the Mach number at the throat is 1.009, near unity, and supersonic bubble flow appears behind the throat. There is greater thrust produced by bubbly water ramjet, compared with single-phase air ramjets. Subsequently, the influences of vessel velocity, air mass flow rate, inlet area Ai, area ratio （i.e., mixing chamber to inlet area Am/Ai）, and initial bubble radius on the thrust were emphatically investigated. Results indicate that the thrust increases with the increase of air mass flow rate, inlet area and the area ratio, and the decrease of initial bubble radius. However, the thrust weakly depends on the vessel velocity. These analytical and numerical results are useful for further investigation of bubbly water ramjet engine.

Effect of internal bubbly flow on pipe vibrations

This paper presents an experimental investigation on wall vibrations of a pipe due to injection of a uniform bubble cloud into the pipe flow. For different bubble void fractions and averaged bubble sizes, the vibrations were measured using accelerometers. To understand the underlying physics, the evolution of the vibration spectra along the streamwise direction was examined. Results showed that wall vibrations were greatly enhanced up to 25 dB, compared with no bubble case. The characteristics of the vibration were mainly dependent on void fraction. These vibrations were believed to be caused by two mechanisms: acoustic resonance and normal modes of the bubble cloud. The former, originating from the interaction between the first mode of the bubble cloud and the first acoustic mode of the pipe, persisted along the entire pipe to enhance the vibration over a broad band frequency range, while the later, due to the process of bubble formation, successively decayed in the streamwise direction.

Leveraging ROTI map derived from Indonesian GNSS receiver network for advancing study of Equatorial Plasma Bubble in Southeast/East Asia

This paper highlights the crucial role of Indonesia’s GNSS receiver network in advancing Equatorial Plasma Bubble(EPB)studies in Southeast and East Asia,as ionospheric irregularities within EPB can disrupt GNSS signals and degrade positioning accuracy.Managed by the Indonesian Geospatial Information Agency(BIG),the Indonesia Continuously Operating Reference Station(Ina-CORS)network comprises over 300 GNSS receivers spanning equatorial to southern low-latitude regions.Ina-CORS is uniquely situated to monitor EPB generation,zonal drift,and dissipation across Southeast Asia.We provide a practical tool for EPB research,by sharing two-dimensional rate of Total Electron Content(TEC)change index(ROTI)derived from this network.We generate ROTI maps with a 10-minute resolution,and samples from May 2024 are publicly available for further scientific research.Two preliminary findings from the ROTI maps of Ina-CORS are noteworthy.First,the Ina-CORS ROTI maps reveal that the irregularities within a broader EPB structure persist longer,increasing the potential for these irregularities to migrate farther eastward.Second,we demonstrate that combined ROTI maps from Ina-CORS and GNSS receivers in East Asia and Australia can be used to monitor the development of ionospheric irregularities in Southeast and East Asia.We have demonstrated the combined ROTI maps to capture the development of ionospheric irregularities in the Southeast/East Asian sector during the G5 Geomagnetic Storm on May 11,2024.We observed simultaneous ionospheric irregularities in Japan and Australia,respectively propagating northwestward and southwestward,before midnight,whereas Southeast Asia’s equatorial and low-latitude regions exhibited irregularities post-midnight.By sharing ROTI maps from Indonesia and integrating them with regional GNSS networks,researchers can conduct comprehensive EPB studies,enhancing the understanding of EPB behavior across Southeast and East Asia and contributing significantly to ionospheric research.

Bubbly shock propagation as a mechanism of shedding in separated cavitating flows

Stable attached partial cavitation in separated flows can transition to cloud shedding, and the mechanism of transition has been attributed to the presence of a re-entrant liquid jet. Our findings have revealed the presence of propagating bubbly shock waves as an alternative dominant mechanism of shedding when the compressibility of the bubbly mixture is appreciable. In the present paper, we discuss dynamics associated with these bubbly shock waves, interaction of shock waves with obstacles in their path, and means to manipulate their properties to control the shedding process by non-condensable gas injection.

Computational study of bubbly jets in stagnant water

The air-water bubbly jets in a stagnant water are numerically investigated by using a CFD software package with the realizable k-e turbulence model.The focus is on the jet evolutionary behaviors in terms of the gas void fraction,the axial water velocity,the turbulent kinetic energy(TKE),the entrainment coefficient,and the momentum and buoyancy fluxes in a wide range of the bubbly jets(with the initial gas volume fractions ranging from 0 to 0.83).The computational results are found generally in good agreement with the experimental results reported in the literature.Both the gas void fraction and the axial water velocity follow the Gaussian distribution in the radial direction as expected,however a double-peak distribution is found for the TKE at some distance away from the nozzle.With the increase of the longitudinal distance,their peak values generally are decreased until reaching approximately their terminal values.The non-dimensional relations are revealed in both the radial and longitudinal directions.The potential core and the spreading rates of the bubbly jets are then investigated.The liquid volume flux of the bubbly jets is found to increase almost linearly along the centerline with an entrainment coefficient of 0.037-0.065.The momentum flux of the bubbly jets increases due to the buoyancy force,and the relative importance of the momentum and buoyancy fluxes is also discussed.

Numerical investigation of turbulent bubbly wakes created by the ventilated partial cavity

This paper presents a numerical study on the turbulent bubbly wakes created by the ventilated partial cavity.A semi-empirical approach is introduced to model the discrete interface of the ventilated cavity and its complex gas leakage rate induced by the local turbulent shear stress.Based on the Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid modeling framework,a population balance approach based on MUltiple-SIze-Group (MUSIG) model is incorporated to simulate the size evolution of the sheared off microbubbles and its complex interactions with the two-phase flow structure in the wake region.Numerical predictions at various axial locations downstream of the test body were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental measurements.The captured bubbly wake structure illustrates that the bubbles may disperse as a twin-vortex tube driven by gravity effect.The predicted Sauter mean bubble diameter has confirmed the dominance of the coleascense process in the axial direction.As the bubbles develop downstream,the coleascense and breakup rate gradually reach balance,resulting in the stable bubble diameter.A close examination of the flow structures,gas void fraction distributions and the bubble size evolution provides valuable insights into the complex physical phenomenon induced by ventilated cavity.

Effect of compressibility on bubbly cavitating flows

Cavitating bubbly flows can form in separated flows and shear layers leading to local regions high vapor void fraction,and these flows often exhibit periodic shedding of vaporous clouds.Historically,the presence of a liquid re-entrant flow,driven by the kinematics of liquid flow stagnation,has been identified as an important mechanism leading to cavity shedding.However,high local vapor void fractions can also result in a reduced mixture speed of sound and a possible supersonic flow.Our recent findings on different geometries indicate that propagating bubbly shocks in these flows are a primary mechanism of flow instability.In this study,we discuss the effect of compressibility on four geometries,mainly in the generation of propagating bubbly shocks that can influence the cavitation shedding dynamics.In order to elucidate the differences and similarities of the observed cavitation dynamics,and the influence of compressibility,we report observations from a backward facing step,backward facing wedge,NACA0015 hydrofoil,and a bluff body with a wedge cross section.

Investigation of bubbles escape behavior from low basicity mold flux for high-Mn high-Al steels using 3D X-ray microscope

During the continuous casting process of high-Mn high-Al steels,various types of gases such as Ar need to escape through the top of the mold.In which,the behavior of bubbles traversing the liquid slag serves as a restrictive link,closely associated with viscosity and the thickness of liquid slag.In contrast to two-dimensional surface observation,three-dimensional(3D)analysis method can offer a more intuitive,accurate,and comprehensive information.Therefore,this study employs a 3D X-ray microscope(3D-XRM)to obtained spatial distribution and 3D morphological characteristics of residual bubbles in mold flux under different basicity of liquid slag,different temperatures,and different holding times.The results indicate that as basicity of slag increases from 0.52 to 1.03,temperature increases from 1423 to 1573 K,the viscosity of slag decreases,the floating rate of bubbles increases.In addition,when holding time increases from 10 to 30 s,the bubbles floating distance increases,and the volume fraction and average equivalent sphere diameter of the bubbles solidified in the mold flux gradually decreases.In one word,increasing the basicity,temperature,and holding time leading to an increase in the removal rate of bubbles especially for the large.These findings of bubbles escape behavior provide valuable insights into optimizing low basicity mold flux for high-Mn high-Al steels.

Oxygen transfer characteristics of bubbly jet in regular waves

The dissolved oxygen level is an important index of the water environment,and in this paper,the oxygen transfer of the bubbly jet in regular waves is investigated numerically and experimentally.The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations,the re-normalisation group k-e equations,and the volume of fluid(VOF)technique are used along with a 2-D CFD model to simulate the wave and bubble motions as well as the turbulence,and a dissolved oxygen transport equation is used to model the oxygen transfer behavior both through the bubbly interface and the wave surface.A series of experiments are conducted to validate the mathematical model,with good agreement.In addition,a group of dimensionless parameters are defined from the wave parameter and the aeration parameter,and their relationships with the total oxygen transfer coefficient are explored.Furthermore,the dimensional analysis and the least squares methods are used to derive simple prediction formulas for the total oxygen transfer coefficient,and they are validated with the related experimental data.

Developed ‘laminar’ bubbly flow with non-uniform bubble sizes

Bubbles with different sizes have different dynamic and kinetic behavior in a two-phase bubbly flow. A common two-fluid model based on the uniform bubble size assumption is not suitable for a bubbly flow with non-uniform bubble sizes. To deal with non-uniform bubbly flows, a multi-fluid model is established, with which bubbles are divided into several groups according to their sizes and a set of basic equations is derived for each group of bubbles with almost the same size. Through analyzing the bubble-bubble and bubble-pipe wall interactions, two new constitutive laws for the wall-force and pressure difference between the liquid phase and interface are developed to close the averaged basic equations. The respective phase distributions for each group of bubbles measured by a specially designed three-dimensional photographic method are used to check the model. Comparison between model-predicted values and experimental data shows that the model can describe laminar bubbly flow with non-uniform bubble sizes.