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Computational modeling of microbubble coalescence and breakup using large eddy simulation and Lagrangian tracking
Author(s) -
Asiagbe Kenneth S.,
Colombo Marco,
Fairweather Michael,
Njobuenwu Derrick O.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.17017
Subject(s) - breakup , mechanics , coalescence (physics) , turbulence , bubble , large eddy simulation , lagrangian particle tracking , surface tension , physics , collision , multiphase flow , classical mechanics , computer science , thermodynamics , computer security , astrobiology
The flow of dispersed microbubbles was studied with an Eulerian–Lagrangian technique using large eddy simulation to predict the continuous liquid flow and Lagrangian tracking to compute bubble trajectories. The model fully accounts for bubble coalescence and breakup and was applied to horizontal and vertical channel flows. With low levels of turbulence, gravity in horizontal, and lift in vertical, channel flows govern the bubble spatial and collision distribution. When turbulence is sufficiently high to, at least partially, oppose bubble preferential concentration, more uniform collision and coalescence distributions are found, although these remain peaked near the wall in both configurations. Almost 100% coalescence efficiency was always found, due to bubbles colliding along similar trajectories, with breakup only recorded in a flow of low surface tension refrigerant R134a. Models like this can provide the required quantitative understanding of the microbubbles complex behavior, as well as supporting the development of more macroscopic modeling closures.