Generation Of Cavitation Bubbles Research Articles

Multibubble sonoluminescence in supercooled water.

Cavitation in supercooled water has been induced by the short ultrasound pulses of an ultrasonic horn driven at 20kHz. The cavitation during the ultrasonic pulses and occasionally the crystallization events thereafter have been imaged by a high-speed camera. The probability of ice crystallization in dependence on the pulse duration and temperature showed a high chance for the water to remain liquid if sufficiently short bursts of moderate acoustic power were applied. This regime has been used for the assessment of sonoluminescence (SL) from the generated cavitation bubbles in the supercooled liquid state. To this end, light emitting events were summed up over a number of ultrasonic pulses by an image intensifier. SL appeared mostly directly under the tip of the ultrasonic horn and sometimes also a few millimeters below the tip. The intensity of SL events showed a slight rise for a decrease in temperature, i.e., for an increase in supercooling. This behavior is in accord with the SL dependence on temperature above the freezing point and might be attributed to a further lowering of vapor pressure. An increase in the bubble collapse peak temperature for increased supercooling is calculated on the basis of spherical bubble model calculations, which supports the findings. The simulations predict further that the peak temperature will fall off again beyond a certain supercooling level.

Expansion of the cavitation region using ultrasound focus scanning in the direction of ultrasound propagation for an efficient method of histotripsy

Histotripsy is a non-invasive high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) based therapy using the mechanical effect of cavitation bubbles. In this paper, we experimentally examined the effectiveness of a proposed method of scanning the HIFU focus in the direction of propagation to expand the region of the bubble cloud and increase the treatment throughput. First, the continuous generation of cavitation bubbles was observed with a high-speed camera, and it was confirmed that the region of bubble cloud generation could be expanded by focus scanning. Next, we performed ex vivo experiments. Tissue treated with histotripsy is disrupted and homogenized at the subcellular level, resulting in a decrease in the backscatter intensity of the ultrasound. Therefore, we observed the progression of tissue homogenization with histotripsy by evaluating the reduction of echo intensity in ultrasound imaging. The results suggest that focus scanning can improve the time efficiency of treatment.

Development of a Cavitation Generator Mimicking Pistol Shrimp.

Pistol shrimp generate cavitation bubbles. Cavitation impacts due to bubble collapses are harmful phenomena, as they cause severe damage to hydraulic machinery such as pumps and valves. However, cavitation impacts can be utilized for mechanical surface treatment to improve the fatigue strength of metallic materials, which is called "cavitation peening". Through conventional cavitation peening, cavitation is generated by a submerged water jet, i.e., a cavitating jet or a pulsed laser. The fatigue strength of magnesium alloy when treated by the pulsed laser is larger than that of the jet. In order to drastically increase the processing efficiency of cavitation peening, the mechanism of pistol shrimp (specifically when used to create a cavitation bubble), i.e., Alpheus randalli, was quantitatively investigated. It was found that a pulsed water jet generates a cavitation bubble when a shrimp snaps its claws. Furthermore, two types of cavitation generators were developed, namely, one that uses a pulsed laser and one that uses a piezo actuator, and this was achieved by mimicking a pistol shrimp. The generation of cavitation bubbles was demonstrated by using both types of cavitation generators: the pulsed laser and the piezo actuator.

An innovative experimental apparatus for the analysis of natural gas hydrate cavitation erosion process using laser-induced cavitation.

Natural gas hydrates (NGHs) are an emerging source of clean energy distributed in the pores of soil sediments in deep seabed and permafrost zones with abundant reserves. Cavitation contains enormous energy, thus allowing radial cavitation jets to improve drilling and production rates of NGHs. This paper presents an experimental apparatus that was developed to synthesize NGHs and generate cavitation bubbles by laser for the analysis of the erosion rules of NGHs by cavitation in a reservoir environment. The apparatus consists of a working fluid injection and pressure control system, a temperature control and circulation system, a laser-induced cavitation system, a visual reaction vessel, and a data acquisition and measurement system. The laser-induced cavitation erosion on NGHs and multi-bubble interaction experiments can be conducted over temperatures and pressures in the range of 0-20 °C and 0-12 MPa, respectively, in a visualized reaction vessel. Hydrophones and high-speed photography were utilized for monitoring and analyzing the erosion process within the visualized reaction vessel. In addition, bubble groups of different components in various environments can also be tested in this apparatus to obtain the interaction characteristics under different conditions. This paper discusses the basic structure and principle of the apparatus and conducts a series of experiments to verify the effect of cavitation erosion on hydrate and the feasibility of using cavitation to increase production in hydrate exploitation.

Molecular dynamics simulation of ultrasound cavitation occurring in copper–water nanofluid

It is necessary to reveal the impact of nanoparticles on ultrasonic cavitation phenomena in nanofluids, which is conducive to the heterogeneous nucleation applications of ultrasonic cavitation. In this work, the ultrasonic cavitation processes in pure water and nanofluids were simulated by molecular dynamics. Then, the effect of nanoparticles on ultrasonic cavitation was investigated by adding alternate positive and negative pressure waves. After that, the formation of critical bubbles in cavitation and the collapse of nanobubbles by shock waves were studied by using Voronoi mosaic method and rigid body model, respectively. Finally, the regenerated nanobubbles were analyzed after the collapse of nanobubbles. The results show that the nanoparticles could promote the formation of nanobubbles, and consequently, the nano-jets and nanoparticles movement occur during the collapse of nano-bubbles. Additionally, more tiny cavities generated after the collapsing of nanobubbles and the number of nanobubbles during second cycle will be larger than that of the first cycle. As a result, some of these cavities promote the generation of multiple ultrasonic cavitation bubbles in the subsequent ultrasonic cycle. This leads to the chain reaction effect of ultrasonic cavitation phenomenon occurring in nanofluids.

A method for consistent cavitation bubble generation at different voltages

A study of the dynamics of a single cavitation bubble is fundamental for understanding a wide range of applications in science and engineering. Underwater electrical discharge is a widely used method for generating cavitation bubbles to study their inception, subsequent dynamics, and collapse. In this work, an existing underwater low-voltage discharge circuit for generating cavitation bubbles is improved further to get a wider range of maximum bubble radius. In this novel electric circuit design, the operating voltage can be varied (up to 420 V in steps of 60 V) by connecting a network of capacitors in different series-parallel combinations with the help of relay-based control. Therefore, this device can generate oscillating cavitation bubbles up to a maximum radius of 14 mm by adjusting the available discharge energy. A voltage sensor circuit is included in this design to measure the drop in voltage during the sparking event, and a correlation between the delivered energy and the potential energy of the bubble is established. The dependence of bubble radius on circuit resistance, electrode resistance, and electrode material is studied for the entire voltage range. A suitably rated semiconductor field effect transistor is used as a switch that enables the generation of bubbles of a consistent maximum radius and ensures the repeatability of the experiment. A high-speed imaging system is used to estimate the bubble radius and nucleation period, which are compared with the existing theoretical models based on empty cavity collapse. Results show that delaying the oxidation of electrodes with a protective layer influences the collapse phase and the average pressure inside the spark-generated bubble.

Generation and Evolution of Cavitation Bubbles in Volume Alternate Cavitation (VAC)

Cavitation generation methods have been used in multifarious directions because of their diversity, and numerous studies and discussions have been conducted on cavitation generation methods. This study aims to explore the generating mechanism and evolution law of volume alternate cavitation (VAC). In the VAC, liquid water is placed in an airtight container with a variable volume. As the volume alternately changes, the liquid water inside the container continues to cavitate. Then, the mixture turbulence model and in-cylinder dynamic grid model are adopted to conduct computational fluid dynamics simulation of volume alternate cavitation. In the simulation, the cloud images at seven heights on the central axis are monitored, and the phenomenon and mechanism of height and eccentricity are analyzed in detail. By employing the cavitation flow visualization method, the generating mechanism and evolution law of cavitation are revealed. The synergistic effects of experiments and high-speed camera capturing confirm the correctness of the simulation results. In the experiment, the volume change stroke of the airtight container is set to 20 mm, the volume change frequency is 18 Hz, and the shooting frequency of the high-speed camera is set to 10000 FPS. The experimental results indicate that the position of the cavitation phenomenon has a reasonable law during the whole evolution cycle of the cavitation cloud. Also, the volume alternation cycle corresponds to the generation, development, and collapse stages of cavitation bubbles.

Development of efficient method of generating reactive oxygen species by expanding cavitation region using ultrasound focus scanning in the direction of ultrasound propagation

Sonodynamic therapy is a minimally invasive high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) based therapy that combines a sonosensitizer and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are produced by acoustic cavitation. In this paper, we experimentally examined the effectiveness of a proposed method of scanning the ultrasound focus in the direction of HIFU propagation for continuously generating cavitation clouds to expand the region of ROS generation and increase the amount of ROS. First, the continuous generation of cavitation bubbles was observed using a high-speed camera, and it was confirmed that bubbles could be generated even with a short-duration HIFU, which is difficult to generate bubbles by itself. Subsequently, we evaluated the area and amount of ROS generation by imaging sonochemiluminescence. Comparing the irradiation at 1 point with that at 7 points, the amount of ROS per acoustic energy increased by about 1.5 times, suggesting that it is an efficient method for ROS generation.

Research of the vibration induced by cavitation in a centrifugal pump under part load condition

Cavitation and the corresponding induced vibration characteristics in a centrifugal pump under part load (0.4Qd, Qd is rated flow) conditions were investigated by combining numerical simulation and experimental analysis to determine the internal flow characteristics and vibration signals under different cavitation conditions. Under part load conditions, cavitation is initiated at the inlet of blades close to the tongue. Expansion of a low-pressure region increases the size of vortex in the flow passages, which increases the severity of the flow instability in the pump during severe cavitation. As cavitation develops, the random generation and rapid collapse of cavitation bubbles produce unstable vibration of the pump system. The high-frequency and broadband pulsation of vibrations distributed in the frequency band of 4–10 kHz can be regarded as typical signals induced by cavitation in the pump at 0.4Qd. The net positive suction head available of the cavitation incipient point is determined to be 9 m at 0.4Qd. The rotor–stator interaction between the impeller and volute affects the vibration signals at individual measurement points, which exhibit clear shaft-frequency characteristics in the frequency band of 0–600 Hz.

Cavitation behavior and mixing performance of antisolvent precipitation process in an ultrasonic micromixer

AbstractA facile and robust ultrasonic micromixer was developed to intensify antisolvent precipitation via ultrasonic cavitation. The gas supersaturation created from solvent–antisolvent mixing was found to be a novel driving force which facilitated the generation of cavitation bubbles (CBs). Instead of being attached on the channel wall, numerous CBs translated across the microchannel at a speed up to 1.7 m/s, inducing intense transverse flow over the cross‐section. The unique cavitation behavior enabled rapid mixing (mixing time 15–45 ms at 30 W) of solvent–antisolvent over wide Reynolds number range (70–500) and flow rate ratio (5:1–2:3), providing better operability for antisolvent precipitation. The effects of ultrasonic power, total flow rate, flow rate ratio, and solvent on cavitation behavior and mixing performance were quantitatively studied. Finally, the potential of the ultrasonic micromixer as a new tool for antisolvent precipitation was demonstrated by synthesizing size‐controllable and monodisperse polymeric nanoparticles in a high‐throughput and reproducible manner.

Developing elastic mechanisms: ultrafast motion and cavitation emerge at the millimeter scale in juvenile snapping shrimp.

Organisms such as jumping froghopper insects and punching mantis shrimp use spring-based propulsion to achieve fast motion. Studies of elastic mechanisms have primarily focused on fully developed and functional mechanisms in adult organisms. However, the ontogeny and development of these mechanisms can provide important insights into the lower size limits of spring-based propulsion, the ecological or behavioral relevance of ultrafast movement, and the scaling of ultrafast movement. Here, we examined the development of the spring-latch mechanism in the bigclaw snapping shrimp, Alpheus heterochaelis (Alpheidae). Adult snapping shrimp use an enlarged claw to produce high-speed strikes that generate cavitation bubbles. However, until now, it was unclear when the elastic mechanism emerges during development and whether juvenile snapping shrimp can generate cavitation at this size. We reared A. heterochaelis from eggs, through their larval and postlarval stages. Starting 1month after hatching, the snapping shrimp snapping claw gradually developed a spring-actuated mechanism and began snapping. We used high-speed videography (300,000framess-1) to measure juvenile snaps. We discovered that juvenile snapping shrimp generate the highest recorded accelerations (5.8×105±3.3×105ms-2) for repeated-use, underwater motion and are capable of producing cavitation at the millimeter scale. The angular velocity of snaps did not change as juveniles grew; however, juvenile snapping shrimp with larger claws produced faster linear speeds and generated larger, longer-lasting cavitation bubbles. These findings establish the development of the elastic mechanism and cavitation in snapping shrimp and provide insights into early life-history transitions in spring-actuated mechanisms.

Reactive mixing performance for a nanoparticle precipitation in a swirling vortex flow reactor

Mixing performance for a consecutive competing reaction system has been investigated in a swirling vortex flow reactor (SVFR). The direct quadrature method of moments combined with the interaction by exchange with the mean (DQMOM-IEM) method was employed to model such reacting flows. This type of reactors is able to generate a strong swirling flow with a great shear gradient in the radial direction. Firstly, mixing at both macroscale and microscale was assessed by mean mixture fraction and its variance, respectively. It is found that macromixing can be rapidly achieved throughout the whole reactor chamber due to its swirling feature. However, micromixing estimated by Bachelor length scale is sensitive to turbulence. Moreover, the additional introduction of ultrasound irradiation can significantly improve the mixing uniformity, namely, free of any stagnant zone presented in the reactor chamber on a macroscale, and little variance deviating from the mean environment value can be observed on a microscale. Secondly, reaction progress variable and the reactant conversion serve as indicators for the occurrence of side reaction. It is found that strong turbulence and a relatively fast micromixing process compared to chemical reaction can greatly reduce the presence of by-product, which will then provide homogenous environment for particle precipitation. Moreover, due to the generation of cavitation bubbles and their subsequent collapse, ultrasound irradiation can further intensify turbulence, creating rather even environment for chemical reactions. Low conversion rate was observed and little by-products were generated consequently. Therefore, it is suggested that the SVFR especially intensified by ultrasound irradiation has the ability to provide efficient mixing performance for the fine-particle synthesis process.

Interferometric Fiber Optic Probe for Measurements of Cavitation Bubble Expansion Velocity and Bubble Oscillation Time.

Cavitation bubbles are used in medicine as a mechanism to generate shock waves. The study of cavitation bubble dynamics plays a crucial role in understanding and utilizing such phenomena for practical applications and purposes. Since the lifetime of cavitation bubbles is in the range of hundreds of microseconds and the radii are in the millimeter range, the observation of bubble dynamics requires complicated and expensive equipment. High-speed cameras or other optical techniques require transparent containers or at least a transparent optical window to access the region. Fiber optic probe tips are commonly used to monitor water pressure, density, and temperature, but no study has used a fiber tip sensor in an interferometric setup to measure cavitation bubble dynamics. We present how a fiber tip sensor system, originally intended as a hydrophone, can be used to track the expansion and contraction of cavitation bubbles. The measurement is based on interference between light reflected from the fiber tip surface and light reflected from the cavitation bubble itself. We used a continuous-wave laser to generate cavitation bubbles and a high-speed camera to validate our measurements. The shock wave resulting from the collapse of a bubble can also be measured with a delay in the order of 1 µs since the probe tip can be placed less than 1 mm away from the origin of the cavitation bubble. By combining the information on the bubble expansion velocity and the time of bubble collapse, the lifetime of a bubble can be estimated. The bubble expansion velocity is measured with a spatial resolution of 488 nm, half the wavelength of the measuring laser. Our results demonstrate an alternative method for monitoring bubble dynamics without the need for expensive equipment. The method is flexible and can be adapted to different environmental conditions, opening up new perspectives in many application areas.

Utilization of an innovative sono-microreactor for CO2 stripping from aqueous methyldiethanolamine solution

In the present study, a novel designed ultrasound-equipped microchannel reactor has been used to improve the CO2 desorption process from aqueous N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solutions. CO2 desorption rate for a microreactor without ultrasound irradiation was compared with an ultrasound-equipped one at various temperatures, flow rates, and ultrasound powers. The results revealed that ultrasound vibrations could facilitate CO2 desorption and cause a significant increase in the rate of that through generation of cavitation bubbles and turbulence. Evaluation of energy and mass transfer characteristics was performed; 37.8% energy saving and 144.2% increase in mass transfer coefficient was obtained using ultrasound at its maximum power compared to microreactor without ultrasound irradiation. Also, comparisons between the designed sono-microreactor and conventional methods for CO2 desorption were performed in terms of desorption energy consumption and mass transfer coefficient, indicating 40.9% energy saving compared to 30 wt% MEA benchmark process and 160 times increase in mass transfer coefficient. Due to its high performance in terms of energy saving and mass transfer enhancement compared to the conventional method, the newly designed sono-microreactor can be introduced as a highly efficient technique for solvent regeneration.

Cavitation inception and evolution in cavitation on a chip devices at low upstream pressures

The concept of “hydrodynamic cavitation on a chip” offers facile generation of cavitating flows in microdomains, which can be easily scaled up by arranging short microchannels (micro-orifices) in cascade formations. In this regard, microscale cavitation in an energy-efficient test rig has the potential of increasing utilization possibilities of cavitation in a wide range of applications such as liquid-phase exfoliation. In this study, a new experimental test rig was constructed to generate microscale hydrodynamic cavitation. This setup enables cavitation bubble generation at low upstream pressures through the control of the downstream pressure of the device. Particular attention was directed to the classification of flow patterns, scale effects, and cavitating flow evolutions with an in-depth categorization of underlying mechanisms such as Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Cavitation inception appeared in the form of a single bubble. The appearance of different attached cavitating flow patterns within the microfluidic device was accompanied by new physics, which revealed that cavitation generation and development are affected by the existence of various fluid flow phenomena, particularly the jet flow. The outcome of this study makes hydrodynamic cavitation on a chip attractive for applications, where the cavitation effects are sought in the presence of multiphase fluid flows.

Oil Cavitation Morphology Analysis of Textured Cylindrical Rotating Friction Pair on Circular-Disk End Faces

Cavitation is a destructive hydraulic phenomenon; it causes damage to small hydraulic machinery and large water-conservancy projects, and cavitation and cavitation corrosion problems are long-standing problems for hydraulic machinery experts. Micro-textures are often machined onto the end face near the indirect contact point to increase the oil film bearing capacity and reduce the transfer torque in hydraulic machinery, but the pressure disturbance caused by the texture dimple and boundary can induce cavitation. To delay or eliminate cavitation on the textured surface of equipment such as mechanical seals and dynamic bearings, the cavitation effect of a cylindrical texture on a rotating frictional pair was investigated from theoretical, imitational, and experimental perspectives. Low pressure is extremely important for inducing cavitation; once cavitation conditions are met, a full bubble can be formed in about 0.015 s. Cavitation mainly occurs at the outer radius of the rotating end face, i.e., in the high-speed region. There is a mutual mass transfer between gas and liquid phases when cavitation occurs, but the generation of cavitation bubbles is faster than its collapse, thus causing an increasing cavitation region.

Explaining the working mechanism of laser-activated irrigation and its action on microbial biofilms: A high-speed imaging study.

Laser-activated irrigation (LAI) using pulsed erbium lasers has been studied with regard to canal cleaning, but its working mechanism remains poorly understood. This study sought to unravel the method of action of LAI and to assess its effect on bacterial biofilms in a root canal model, by means of high-speed imaging. A root canal model consisting of dentine and glass walls was used. Visualization of the canal space during activation was achieved with a high-speed camera, capturing 20-s activation series at 50 000 frames per second. Recordings were made of canal models filled with water, models filled with water containing glass microspheres, and models with a biofilm (an undefined biofilm originating from oral samples, a 1-week-old Enterococcus faecalis biofilm or a 11-day-old multispecies biofilm) grown on the dentine walls. LAI parameters were 2940 nm, 15 Hz, 50 μs, 20 mJ and 400 μm conical tip held at orifice level. Quantitative (measurement of size, life time and timing of cavitation bubbles; velocity and amplitude of root canal content movement) and qualitative (descriptive) analysis of the intracanal events was performed using imaging software. During the implosion of the primary bubble, smaller cavitation bubbles emerged throughout the entire canal. This process began in the coronal canal part and continued in the apical direction. Expansion of these bubbles was followed by an implosion, and this volumetric change over a time span of a few 100 μs resulted in a very rapid vertical movement of the canal content with a mean amplitude of 900 μm. The succession of these movements with every pulse, resulted in biofilm detachment from the root canal walls and the gradual displacement of fragments coronally, until their complete removal. The pattern of the biofilm removal was the same for all groups. LAI was able to remove biofilm from the root canal models. The hydrodynamic effect of LAI is based on the generation of small cavitation bubbles throughout the entire canal, far from the primary bubble. Their volumetric oscillation results in a small yet very fast vertical movement of the root canal content and local liquid streaming on each pulse, resulting in biofilm detachment and coronal displacement.

Optical cavitation in non-absorbent solutions using a continuous-wave laser via optical fiber

Optical cavitation can be induced by short pulse lasers focused into a solution with a low absorption coefficient or using a continuous-wave laser focused into highly absorbent solutions. In this work, we report the generation of cavitation bubbles in ethanol using a continuous-wave fiber optic laser with emission at 450 nm wavelength. Silver and copper nitrate nanoparticles were immobilized on the flat end-face of a multimode optical fiber tip using the photodeposition technique and then immersed into the solution. Laser light transmitted through the optical fiber is strongly absorbed by both nanoparticles causing an abrupt increase in temperature around the tip of the optical fiber, reaching the spinodal limit of ethanol (∼187 °C). At this temperature, an explosive phase transition (liquid–gas) occurs causing the generation of a microbubble, which grows until reaches its maximum radius (∼1072 μm in 132 µs) and subsequently collapses, emitting a shock wave. The dynamic behavior of the gas bubble was studied as a function of the laser power using a high-speed video camera, and the shock wave emitted immediately after the bubblés collapse was detected by a microphone. The pressure of the shock wave was analyzed photodepositing different thin films of silver nanoparticles at the tip of the optical fiber, causing optical attenuations of 1, 3, 5, and 7 dB. The experimental results obtained showed that when a thin film of copper nitrate nanoparticles was photodeposited on a film of silver nanoparticles (5 dB), the pressure of the shock wave increases up to ∼ 13-fold, in comparison, if we use only one film of silver nanoparticles. Energetic shock waves have potential applications in a variety of areas such as medicine, biological sciences, material processing, liquid microjets generation, among others.

Er:YAG laser-induced cavitation can activate irrigation for the removal of intraradicular biofilm

We investigated the biofilm removal effects of laser activated irrigation (LAI) using a pig model, focusing on the impact of the fiber tip position, and used a high-speed camera to observe the occurrence and positioning of the cavitation associated with laser irradiation. A total of 16 roots of deciduous mandibular second premolars from 4 pigs were used. After a pulpectomy, the canals were left open for 2 weeks and sealed for 4 weeks to induce intraradicular biofilm. Root canal irrigation was then performed with Er:YAG laser activation. The fiber tip was inserted at two different positions, i.e., into the root canal in the intracanal LAI group and into the pulp chamber in the coronal LAI group. Intracanal needle irrigation with saline or 5% NaOCl was utilized in the positive control and conventional needle irrigation (CNI) groups. SEM and qPCR were carried out to evaluate treatment efficacy. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and a Tukey–Kramer post-hoc test for qPCR and with a Steel–Dwass test to compare the SEM scores, with α = 0.05. A high-speed camera was used to observe the generation of cavitation bubbles and the movement of the induced bubbles after laser irradiation. The intracanal and coronal LAI groups showed significantly lower amounts of bacteria than either the positive control or CNI groups. There was no significant difference found between the intracanal and coronal LAI groups. SEM images revealed opened dentinal tubules with the destruction of biofilm in both LAI groups. High-speed camera images demonstrated cavitation bubble production inside the root canal after a single pulse irradiation pulse. The generated bubbles moved throughout the entire internal multi-rooted tooth space. Coronal LAI can generate cavitation in the root canal with a simply placed fiber inside the pulp chamber, leading to effective biofilm removal. This method could thus contribute to the future development of endodontic treatments for refractory apical periodontitis caused by intraradicular biofilm.

ESTIMATION OF NUCLEAR FUSION REQUIREMENTS IN BUBBLES DURING ULTRA-HIGH-PRESSURE, ULTRA-HIGH-TEMPERATURE CAVITATION PROMOTED BY MAGNETIC FIELD

In the present work, a strong magnetic field was applied near the outlet of the water jet nozzle to promote the generation of multifunction cavitation bubbles. Because these bubbles contained charged species, the bubbles experienced a Lorentz force due to the magnetic field and collided with greater force. As such, the internal bubble pressure exceeded the threshold value required for fusion to occur. The expansion of these charged bubbles in response to ultrasonic irradiation affected adjacent charged bubbles so that the energy density of the atoms in the bubbles was greater than the fusion threshold. The results of this work strongly suggest that the formation of bubbles via the UTPC process in conjunction with a strong magnetic field may result in bubble fusion.