Influence of viscosity and surface tension of fluid on the motion of bubbles

Abstract

Boundary integral simulation has been conducted to study the motion and deformation of bubbles with weak viscous and surface tension effects in fluid. Both normal and tangential stress boundary conditions are satisfied and the weak viscous effects are confined to the thin boundary layers around bubble surfaces, which is also known as boundary layer theory of bubble. By using this method, the influence of viscosity and surface tension of fluid on the motion of bubbles has been studied. Both axisymmetric and three-dimensional numerical results are compared with analytical results of Rayleigh-Plesset equation. Good agreement between them is achieved, which validates the numerical model. On this basis, interaction model between two vertically placed bubbles is established, by taking the surface tension, gravity, and viscous effects into consideration. Variations of physical quantities including bubble deformation, jet velocity, and energy of fluid are studied. Last but not least, the influence of viscosity and surface tension on the motion of a spherical bubble is investigated. It is found that viscous effects of fluid depress the pulsation of bubble and part of fluid energy is transformed into viscous dissipation energy. As a result, the development of bubble jet, the radius of the bubble, and the jet velocity are reduced gradually. On the other hand, the surface tension of fluid does not change the range of the bubble pulsation but reduces the period of the bubble pulsation and enhances the potential energy of the bubble. This model and numerical results aim to provide some references for bubble dynamics in bioengineering, chemical engineering, naval architecture, and ocean engineering, etc.