Investigation of condition-induced bubble size and distribution in electroflotation using a high-speed camera

In the flotation process, bubble is a key factor in studying bubble-particle interaction and fine particle flo- tation. Knowledge on size distribution of bubbles in a flotation system is highly important. In this study, bubble distributions in different reagent concentrations, electrolyte concentrations, cathode apertures, and current densities in electroflotation are determined using a high-speed camera. Average bubble sizes under different conditions are calculated using Image-Pro@ Plus （Media Cybernetics@, MD, USA） and SigmaScan@ Pro （Systat Software, CA, USA） software. Results indicate that the average sizes of bubbles, which were generated through 38, 50, 74, 150, 250, 420, and 1000 μm cathode apertures, are 20.2, 29.5, 44.6, 59.2, 68.7, 78.5, and 88.8 μm, respectively. The optimal current density in electroflotation is 20 A/m2. Reagent and electrolyte concentrations, current density, and cathode aperture are important factors in controlling bubble size and nucleation. These factors also contribute to the control of fine- Particle flotation.

Jetting of a near-wall cavitation bubble induced by another tandem bubble

Double bubbles near a rigid wall surface collapse to produce a significant jet impact,with potential applications in surface cleaning and ultrasonic lithotripsy.However,the dynamic behaviors of near-wall bubbles remain unexplored.In this study,we investigate the jetting of a near-wall bubble induced by another tandem bubble.We define two dimensionless standoff distances,γ_(1),γ_(2),to represent the distances from the center of the near-wall bubble to the rigid wall and the center of controlling bubble to the center of the near-wall bubble,respectively.Our observations reveal three distinct jetting regimes for the near-wall bubble:transferred jetting,double jetting,and directed jetting.To further investigate the jetting mechanism,numerical simulations are conducted using the compressibleInterFoam solver in the open-source framework of OpenFOAM.A detailed analysis shows that the transferred jet flow is caused by the pinch-off resulting from the axial contraction velocity at the lower end of the near-wall bubble being greater than the vertical contraction velocity,leading to a maximum jet velocity of 682.58 m/s.In the case of double jetting,intense stretching between the controlling bubble and the wall leads to a pinch-off and a double jetting with a maximum velocity of 1096.29 m/s.The directed jet flow is caused by the downward movement of the high-pressure region generated by the premature collapse of the controlling bubble,with the maximum jet velocity reaching 444.62 m/s.

Bubbling Out of Control

Jim Chanos,founder of the U.S. hedge fund Kynikos Associates,characterized the prop-erty bubble in China as "Dubai times 1,000-or worse." Many Chinese economists agree. Yi Xianrong,a senior researcher at the Institute of Finance and Banking under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,said the property bubble in China was far worse than the Dubai crisis in an interview with the Beijing-based International Herald Leader. Edited excerpts follow: