Bubble Growth in NaCl Solution: Influence of Superheat Temperature and Solution Concentration

Abstract

An in-depth understanding of vapor bubble growth characteristics is of great importance for the design and optimization of gas–liquid two-phase flow instruments, which are widely utilized in chemical and thermal engineering processes. The effects of dissolved salts on vapor bubble growth remain unclear at present. In this work, we developed a surface-based bubble growth model to analyze the bubble growth rates and interface hydrodynamics in sodium chloride solution by considering the influence of dissolved salt on bubble growth. The effects of the mass fraction of NaCl and the superheat temperature on bubble growth rates and interface parameters were studied. Further, the characteristics of three typical bubble growth stages were discussed, and the roles of interfacial forces under different operating conditions were demonstrated. The results indicate that the bubble growth rates increased with the increase of the superheat temperature and mass fraction. The effects of the superheat temperature on the bubble duration time are more significant than the NaCl concentration. Besides, the validated surface-based bubble growth model could be extended to other electrolytes by modified solution properties and interface evaporation parameters.