Effect of suction process on the growth of a convective gas bubble in diver’s tissues

Abstract

The motivation of this research is to study the effect of suction process on a growing gas bubble and concentration distribution around this bubble in tissues of divers who surface too quickly. The effect of bubble motion is also considered. The method of combined variables is used to solve the problem by combining the radial and time variables into one variable by using a suitable similarity transformation that enables to divide the diffusion equation into two ODEs, the first concerns to concentration distribution and the other concerns to the bubble radius evolution. The resultant formulae are valid for both growth stages whenever the ambient pressure is variable at ascending of the diver, or constant as the diving stops or at sea-level. The effects of physical parameters are discussed when applying suction process and show that the dominant parameter is the initial void fraction. The research findings reveal the role of suction process to activate the systemic blood circulation and delay the growth of gas bubbles in the tissues and reduce the incidence of decompression illness (DCI). This research also provides evidence and agrees with the previous experimental studies to support the use of suction therapy to reduce the DCI harmful effects.