Numerical simulation of momentum transfer from a shock wave to a bubbly medium

Abstract

Based on the system of equations of two-phase compressible viscous flow, we performed a two-dimensional numerical simulation of momentum transfer by a shock wave propagating from a gas to a continuous aqueous medium or an aqueous medium with air bubbles. When a shock wave impinges on a continuous aqueous medium, the incompressible liquid is set in motion by gas overpressure after the reflection of the shock wave from the gas-liquid interface; however, when a shock wave impinges on a bubbly aqueous medium, the compressible liquid is set in motion due to the penetration of a shock wave into it. Parametric calculations have shown that momentum transfer from a shock wave to a bubbly fluid can be accompanied by dynamic effects, which ensure that the momentum transferred to the bubbly liquid for some time by far exceeds the momentum transferred to a continuous liquid, all other things being equal. These dynamic effects can be used to develop energy-efficient hydrojet propulsion units.