Wall shear stress induced by a large bubble rising in an inclined rectangular channel

Abstract

The rise of single air bubbles in inclined rectangular channels was experimentally investigated. Two-segment electrodiffusion probes were used to measure wall shear rate profiles along the passing bubbles. They provided information on reverse flow in a liquid film separating the bubble from the wall, capillary waves appearing at the bubble tail, and near-wall flow fluctuations in the bubble wake. The corresponding bubble shapes and rise velocities were obtained from simultaneous visual observations done by a high-speed camera. The experiments were carried out for three channel depths (1.5, 4, and 8mm), various channel inclinations (from 5° to 90°), bubble volumes (from 1 to 80ml), and liquid up-flow velocities (from 0 to 0.2m/s). In vertical channels, the wall shear rate trace of a bubble rise is primarily influenced by the channel depth. As the frontal shape of large bubbles does not change with the bubble size, also the wall shear rate measured under these bubbles evolves in the same manner. In inclined channels, the liquid film is unequally distributed above and under the bubble with the maximum reverse flow observed under the bubble at middle inclinations. Laminar liquid co-flow makes the liquid film around the bubble thicker and in inclined channels slightly pushes the bubble toward the center-line position. The bubble velocity scaling based on the channel perimeter is confirmed to be suitable for vertical channels with stagnant liquid. The linear relationship between the bubble rise and liquid mean velocity is identified under co-flowing conditions at all channel inclinations.