Comparison of Theoretical and Experimental Characteristics of Oscillating Bubbles

Abstract

Mass transfer in typical areation devices such as sieve plate reactors and bubble columns takes place predominantly within the oscillating bubble regime. Mass-transfer rates from oscillating bubbles can be several times larger than mass-transfer rates from rigid bubbles. The hydrodynamics of oscillating bubbles has been described by Tsamopoulos and Brown (J. Fluid Mech. 1983, 127, 519-537) and later by Feng (SIAM J. Appl. Math. 1992, 52 (1), 1-14), using the domain perturbation technique first developed by Joseph (Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 1973, 51, 295-303). A high-speed video imaging system was used to determine the shapes of oscillating bubbles for a wide range of fluids and operating conditions. Air bubbles introduced through an orifice were recorded while rising inside a liquid. When the liquid was water, a hydrogen bubble technique was used to determine pathlines around the rising bubble. The experimental data on shapes and pathlines were compared with bubble shapes and pathlines created using theoretical models.