Mass transfer around bubbles, drops, and particles in uniaxial and biaxial nonlinear extensional flows

Abstract

Mass transfer around spherical bubbles, drops, and solid particles in uniaxial and biaxial nonlinear extensional creeping flows at large Peclet numbers is the subject of this theoretical report. The fluid mechanics problem is governed by the viscosity ratio (λ) and the nonlinear intensity of the flow (E). The flow outside such bodies reveals a different picture than the linear case (E = 0) such as separating surfaces or closed circulations. There is a range: −1.04 < E < 0 (bubbles and drops) and −0.490 < E < 0 (particles) where the mass transfer rate is lower than the linear case. Outside these ranges, the mass transfer rate is higher than the linear case and in general it increases as |E| increases. Same mass transfer rates are expected in uniaxial and biaxial flows, except in the presence of external closed circulations where the biaxial flow overcomes the uniaxial flow. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 398–408, 2019