Bubble Pressure Research Articles

Ostwald ripening of gas bubbles in porous media: Impact of pore geometry and spatial bubble distribution

We study pore-scale gas bubble ripening in porous media by combining a mass transfer method based on chemical potential differences with a level-set method for updating the gas/liquid configurations. We examine the impact of pore geometry and initial gas bubble distribution on the evolution, as well as the effect of mesh refinement and numerical parameters controlling the adaptive time steps in the model. Our results show that the pore geometry has a significant impact as it determines the rate of bubble pressure change with volume, while the area for mass transfer influences the time scale of the evolution. Simulations with different spatial patterns of bubbles with high and low pressures yield different ripening behaviors, classified as local and global ripening regimes. Simulations on sandstone with volumetrically similar bubble distributions display different ripening paths depending on the initial bubble locations, emphasizing the importance of capturing displacement history before ripening investigations.

Interaction between Xe bubbles and grain boundaries as well as the influences on structural evolution in UO2: A molecular dynamics simulation

In polycrystalline UO2 fuels, fission Xe bubbles not only cause fuel swelling, but also are released into the fuel-cladding gap through GBs. The accumulation of a large amount of Xe might reduce the thermal conductivity of the gap and increase the pressure of the fuel rods, leading to fuel failure and cladding cracking. In order to further optimize the design of nuclear fuels, it is crucial to understand the effects of GBs on the thermophysical properties and dynamic behaviors of Xe bubbles. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the interaction between Xe bubbles and STGBs, as well as the influences on the structural evolution of Xe bubbles and GBs in UO2. It was found that the structure order and pressure in Xe bubbles increase with the Xe/(VU+VO) (U and O vacancies) ratio up to 1.0, but decrease beyond that Xe/(VU+VO) ratio. The larger the Xe bubbles are, the more disordered is the atomic structure, and the lower is the pressure in Xe bubbles. However, the atomic structure in Xe bubbles becomes more disordered and the pressure in Xe bubbles becomes lower when they are close to GBs in UO2, which is not conducive to the heat transfer inside UO2 fuels and lowers the utilization efficiency of fuels. Generally, the migration of high-angle STGBs is slow, but will be accelerated when Xe atoms are gradually diffused into GBs and migrate with GBs together. By comparison, the low-angle STGBs in UO2 could migrate easily, but will be slowed down when the dislocations in GBs are pinned by Xe bubbles.

Prior implantation of hydrogen as a mechanism to delay helium bubbles, blistering, and exfoliation in titanium

This study explores the delaying of the formation of helium bubbles and blisters in pure titanium by hydrogen pre-implantation. Titanium, implanted with helium (40 KeV, 5 × 1017 ions/cm²), exhibited large bubbles that cause exfoliation after heat treatment, whereas hydrogen pre-implantation inhibited bubble growth at room temperature and reduced the exfoliation after heat treatment.In the samples pre-implanted with hydrogen, we found evidence of helium diffusion delay by: (a) a fourfold reduction in bubble pressure (b) faceted cavities in the samples (c) a smaller increase in titanium lattice parameters (d) a 16-fold reduction in average bubble size and a sixfold reduction in bubble area fraction (e) a more than twofold decrease in exfoliation (f) a tendency toward the formation of larger bubbles as a result of heat treatment. We believe that it is reasonable to assume that the inhibition of helium diffusion between tetrahedral interstitial lattice sites takes place because of the occupation of the intermediate octahedral sites by hydrogen atoms.Evidence for the opposite effect, that is inhibition of the diffusion of hydrogen in the presence of helium, is found in the retention of hydrogen in the specimens at elevated temperatures. This retention allowed the existence of titanium hydride after heat treatment at 680 °C. The present study sheds light on the intricate interplay between hydrogen and helium in titanium, providing insights into mechanisms that can potentially mitigate helium-induced damage in materials.

Experimental investigation of wet particle flow characteristics in a pseudo two-dimensional fluidized bed

The flow characteristics of wet particles in a fluidized bed are extremely complicated due to the presence of moisture. It is essential to understand the complex behavior and flow characteristics of wet particles in the drying, coating and granulation process for optimizing the process efficiency and product quality. Thus, the flow characteristics of wet particles, such as pressure fluctuation, bubble size and bubble fraction, in a pseudo two-dimensional fluidized bed were investigated through the multi-resolution time-frequency analysis of the pressure signal combined with the high-speed camera images. Results show that the critical fluidization velocity increases after the particles are wetted, and it shows a slight increase with higher moisture content levels. Besides, there are two main characteristic frequencies, which correspond to the gas-solid flow state of the gas channel and the large bubble in the bed, respectively. Notably, higher gas velocities promote the dominance of large bubbles. And increasing particle moisture inhibits bubble expansion and reduces bubble size, while dense particle areas expand vertically due to enhanced bonding. The bed height increases with the increase of moisture, and the fluctuation of bubble fraction decreases. In the drying experiment, two characteristic frequencies also appear and the pressure drop reduce slightly due to the reduction of water. During the drying process, both the average bubble fraction and fluctuation intensity increase.

The behavior of helium bubble evolution under neutron irradiation in different tungsten surfaces

Tungsten, as a kind of material for the plasma-facing wall in fusion reactor and tokamak, is subjected to irradiation by the high-energy neutron and the high fluxes of hydrogen and helium plasmas. Especially, in the presence of helium (He) bubbles, neutron irradiation can significantly exacerbate the deterioration of the material's mechanical properties. However, due to experimental limitations, the evolution of He bubbles in tungsten irradiated by neutrons and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is used to investigate the behavior of He bubbles in tungsten with different crystal surfaces irradiated by neutrons. We observed the complete evolutionary process of the He bubble, i.e. standing, expanding, and bursting. During this process, high-energy neutron transfers energy to atoms within the He bubble through cascade collision, leading to a rapid increase in energy and pressure of the He bubble, and then the rapid expansion of the He bubble makes the pressure rapidly released, ultimately leading to the rupture of the helium bubble. Furthermore, we also explore the evolution of the He bubble under varying conditions (such as temperature, neutron energy, and He/vacancy ratio) within the same crystal surface. We found that at lower temperatures and neutron energy with a higher He/vacancy ratio, it tends to form pinhole-like channels to release helium atoms, resulting in the He bubble bursting. On the contrary, it tends to form a hill-like expansion to spurt helium atoms out, leading to the bubble bursting. Additionally, it was found that the direction and time of He bubble rupture varied under different crystal surfaces. He bubbles under the (112) surface burst the slowest with excellent corrosion resistance. These findings provide new insights into the behavior of irradiation resistance of fusion reactor materials under extreme conditions and offer significant guidance for the improvement and selection of optimal materials for plasma-facing walls.

Density, Surface Tension, and Viscosity of Molten Ni‐Based Superalloys Using the Maximum Bubble Pressure and Oscillating Crucible Methods

Accurate data on the high‐temperature thermophysical properties, which are density, surface tension, and viscosity, are indispensable for performing high‐precision casting simulations of Ni‐based superalloys. Viscosity is the most important thermophysical property for thermofluidic analysis. However, measuring the viscosity of an alloy, which is lower than that of molten glass, is difficult, and experimental viscosity data are limited. Herein, the density of Ni‐based superalloys is measured using the maximum bubble pressure (MBP) method to determine viscosity. The viscosity is evaluated using the oscillating crucible method. The surface tension is simultaneously measured using the MBP method. In these results, the average density values [kg m−3] of Alloy 65, Alloy 718, Alloy WA, and Alloy 720 are 7.52 × 103, 7.43 × 103, 7.82 × 103, and 7.52 × 103, respectively. The average surface tension values [N m−1] of Alloy 65, Alloy 718, Alloy WA, and Alloy 720 are 1.55, 1.54, 1.47, and 1.51, respectively. The fitting equations of the molten Ni‐based superalloys are as follows. 1) Alloy 65: ; 2) Alloy WA: ; 3) Alloy 720: ; 4) Alloy 718: .

The interaction of a large-scale nuclear wind with the high velocity HII region G0.17+0.15

Abstract We investigate the nature of a Galactic center source, G0.17+0.15, lying along the northern extension of the Radio Arc near l ∼ 0.2○. G0.17+0.15 is an HII region located toward the eastern edge of the radio bubble, embedded within the highly polarized Galactic center eastern Lobe where a number of radio filaments appear to cross through the HII region. We report the detection of hydrogen and helium recombination lines with a radial velocity exceeding 140 km s−1 based on GBT and VLA observations. The morphology of G0.17+0.15, aided by kinematics, and spectral index characteristics, suggests the presence of an external pressure dragging and shredding the ionized gas. We argue that this ionized cloud is interacting with a bundle of radio filaments and is entrained by the ram pressure of the radio bubble, which itself is thought to be produced by cosmic-ray driven outflows at the Galactic center. In this interpretation, the gas streamers on the western side of G0.17+0.15 are stripped, accelerated from 0 to δv ∼ 35 km s−1 over a time scale roughly 8 × 104 years, implying that ablating ram pressure is ∼700 eV cm−3, comparable to the ∼103 eVcm−3 cosmic-ray driven wind pressure in the Galactic center region.

Safety of bubble nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) versus bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in preterm infants with respiratory distress.

Nasal Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation (NIPPV) is an effective therapy for infants in respiratory distress. We here report the safety of a novel, low-cost, non-electric bubble NIPPV device in comparison with bubble NCPAP. At Paramitha Children's Hospital (Hyderabad, India), preterm (n = 60) neonates with moderate respiratory distress were pragmatically allocated to bubble NCPAP (5-8 cm H2O) or bubble NIPPV (Phigh 8-12 cm H2O/Plow 5-8 cm H2O) based on staff and equipment availability. Primary outcomes to assess safety included clinically relevant pneumothorax, nasal septal necrosis, or abdominal distention. One patient in each arm developed minor nasal septal injury (grade 3 on NCPAP, grade 2 on NIPPV); no patients in either arm developed a clinically significant pneumothorax or abdominal distention. The similar rates of nasal septal injury, pneumothorax and abdominal distention suggest that bubble NIPPV has a similar safety profile as bubble NCPAP for preterm infants in respiratory distress.

Adsorption Properties and Wettability of Ethoxy- and Propoxy- Derivatives of 2-Ethylhexanol as Sterically Specific Surfactant Structures

2-ethylhexanol, an oxo alcohol competitively priced on the global market, has not been explored intensively as a raw material for surfactants, due to its weak hydrophobic character. However, its sequenced propoxylation and ethoxylation yield an innovative amphiphilic structure, which exhibits unique interfacial activity. The paper presents the differences in the fractional composition of innovative surfactants derived from 2-EH alcohol prepared using alkali and dimetalcyanide catalysts, as well as examples of excellent adsorption and interfacial properties of the latter. The adsorption behavior of the synthesized compounds was explored using equilibrium surface tension (the du Noüy ring method), dynamic surface tension (the maximum gas bubble pressure method) and static/dynamic contact angle (the sessile drop method). The results from the adsorption tests conducted at the air/aqueous surfactant solution interface underwent comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analyses. Moreover, based on the experimentally obtained dynamic surface tension isotherms and the developed algorithm, the diffusion coefficients for these preparations were estimated, and it was shown that the diffusivity of these surfactants is higher compared to the commercial formulations. The study’s outcomes in the testing of wettability indicate that new synthesized nonionic and anionic surfactants constitute an interesting group of amphiphiles with a wide application potential as effective wetting agents, especially in relation to the polymer surface. It should therefore be emphasized that the innovative surfactants described in this article, derived from 2-EH alcohol and prepared using dimetalcyanide catalysts, can successfully compete with conventional preparations such as ABS (Dodecylbenzenesulfonic Acid) or AES (Alcohol Ethoxysulphate) acid salts.

Modeling of vapor bubble dynamics considering the metastable fluid state

This study investigates the dynamic modeling of a spherical vapor bubble in an infinite liquid. Initially, the liquid is in a state of saturation, but then, there is a change in ambient pressure. Unlike previous studies that assumed vapor saturation, our model fully considers the metastable fluid state of subcooled vapor and superheated liquid. The theoretical model is based on the state equation of vapor and the kinetic theory of gases, allowing the visualization of the effects of superheating and subcooling on the bubble pressure and the phase transition rate. The accuracy of the numerical solutions for the bubble collapse and growth is confirmed by experimental results using water as the working fluid. Two approaches of heat transfer simplification are validated in the numerical solution, and an adhesion coefficient within the range of 0.1–1 is recommended for the calculation. Additionally, this study provides insights into how the metastable fluid state affects the bubble pressure and phase transition, especially in the early stages of bubble collapse. Furthermore, the conservation of vapor mass inside the bubble is also demonstrated.

Characteristics of velocity, bubble's radius, and pressure in liquid and gas bubble mixture

The study focuses on the formation of gas bubbles, a crucial phenomenon that significantly impacts the hydrodynamics in liquid–gas reactors. This phenomenon has been observed in industrial engineering, leading to the development of model equations that describe the velocity of a liquid–gas mixture, pressure, and deviation in the gas bubble's initial radius. Kudryashov–Sinelshchikov (KS) established coupled equations (CEs) to describe the dynamics of the liquid–gas mixture. Here, the study aims to investigate the behavior of velocity, deviation in the bubble radius, and pressures by deriving exact solutions of the KSCEs and representing them graphically. The findings show that the velocity can take negative or positive values, representing interfacial velocity or superficial velocity for both liquid and gas, respectively. The pressure may also be negative or positive, corresponding to the shrinking or stretchering of the liquid surface, respectively. The dynamics of the velocity and the deviation in the bubble radius exhibit similar qualitative behavior, while the pressure shows a variant behavior. The dominant parameters are found to be the gas bubble's initial radius and the polytropic exponent. The stability of the steady-state solution is also analyzed. This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the CEs, which have not been studied until now.

Water transportation using a low-height overhang structure along with an expansion pressure of bubbles in a nucleate boiling region

Effective use of low-grade energy is a vital issue for a more sustainable society. Here, we propose a water pump using a low-height overhang structure that effectively uses an expansion pressure of bubbles in a nucleate boiling region. Specifically, by fabricating a periodic overhang structure on a brass surface, we show that a ∼20 mm/s net flow can be generated in a nucleate boiling regime. In addition, by observing bubbles with a high-speed camera of 960 fps, we find that bubbles are generated selectively in the overhang structure and grow to push out water in a lateral direction. Furthermore, by proposing a simple model that considers the expansion pressure of bubbles, we succeed in explaining the experimental results to some extent. Our findings should contribute to the effective use of low-grade energy in a nucleate boiling regime.

Heating-induced release of trapped bubbles from dead-end pore throats filled with nonvolatile liquid

The release of trapped bubbles from dead-end pore throats filled with nonvolatile liquid has widespread applications in gas–liquid reactors, radiators, foam flooding, ceramic sintering, and droplet microcarriers. As conventional pressure-driven flow cannot induce the transport of bubbles in dead-end pores, this paper explores the possibility of using heating to control the release of bubbles from dead-end pore throats. Visualization experiments of the microfluidics within a dead-end pore throat structure are conducted to address the release process of bubbles during heating. An increase in temperature causes dissolved gas in the solution to be transferred to the bubble, which enhances the bubble pressure and enables the bubble to pass through the pore throat. We analyze the effects of the initial bubble radius and initial temperature on the critical temperature Tcr at which the bubble passes through the pore throat. A larger initial radius does not necessarily make it more difficult for the bubble to pass through the throat, but there is a critical radius above which any increase in radius produces a lower value of Tcr. A theoretical model considering diffusion mass transfer, capillary forces, and corner film flows is developed, and this model is found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, we obtain three dimensionless numbers that can be used to predict Tcr. Our work provides guidance for the effective regulation of diffusive growth and the heating-induced release of bubbles from dead-end pore throats.

Synthesis and characterization of comb structure polyether acrylate silicone softener for cotton fabrics

In this study, a comb-like structured organosilicon softener, PEMMS, was synthesised and the optimum synthesis conditions were determined. The chemical structure and properties of PEMMS were characterized by 1H NMR, FT-IR and TG. The emulsion system based on PEMMS was prepared by a phase inversion emulsification method, and the optimum parameters with excellent stability were selected. The surface properties of the emulsion were investigated using the maximum bubble pressure method to determine the CMC (16.61 g/L). The application of the PEMMS-based emulsion on cotton fabrics was studied. The results show that the silicone-treated cotton fabrics have improved wettability, hydrophilicity and softness. In addition, their whiteness remains essentially unchanged, indicating a certain degree of resistance to yellowing. This simplified preparation of a high performance softener is crucial in lowering production costs and improving the safety of the production process.

Effect of inorganic cation on dynamic characteristics of bubble generation

Understanding the effect of inorganic cations on dynamic bubble generation is an important precursor for predicting the bubble characteristics in actual coal flotation. Using the high-speed motion acquisition system, we investigated the bubble growth in different inorganic salt solutions. The bubble generation process was divided into Formation, Expansion, and Contraction stages according to the contact angle between the bubble and the capillary as 90°. Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Al3+ were found to promote bubble growth during the Formation and Expansion stages while restraining the growth during the Contraction stage. Al3+ roughly presented the most obvious promotion of the bubble generation. The dynamic bubble width and length during different bubble growth stages were analyzed to discuss the bubble pressure. The internal pressure increased as the bubble grew. The pressure difference inside and outside the bubble generally followed the order Na+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > Al3+. The forces acting on the bubble were attempted to be discussed. The net force acting on the bubble first kept constant and then decreased with the concentrations of Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, while it first decreased and then increased in the presence of Al3+. Our results can provide valuable insight into the development of the technology for mineral flotation.

Dynamics of fiber optic airgun bubbles for micropropulsion

While extensive research on pressure wave emissions from meter-scale airgun bubbles, the dynamics at the microscale, particularly regarding fiber laser-induced bubble generation, remains less explored. In this Letter, we investigate the dynamic properties of a fiber optic airgun that fires bubbles to propel polystyrene particles in a two-dimensional plane. A linear dependence of particle propulsion on energy distribution with respect to length is observed. The temporal ejection behavior of the particles is attributed to the abrupt jerk response caused by the expansion diminishes of the bubble. We identify two hydrodynamic regimes governing the liquid–solid interaction, i.e., the axial bubble pressure along the fiber is determined by the bubble-particle length, yielding a boundary coefficient of 0.65. We find the dimensionless maximum axial displacement of the particle approximately follows fourth-power scaling laws and aligns with the experimental results in their respective regimes. Such a study offers potential avenues for micromechanical configurations to manipulate interactions among disparate microsystems, especially in the field of microbubble-driven mechanical actuators.

Modeling Mixtures with PCP-SAFT: Insights from Large-Scale Parametrization and Group-Contribution Method for Binary Interaction Parameters

Vapor/liquid equilibria of mixtures are of utmost importance in the design of chemical processes. Because of the combinatorial complexity of mixtures, the available experimental data are small when considering the large molecular space. To fill this knowledge gap, molecular equations of state like PCP-SAFT show promise due to their explicit consideration of intermolecular interactions that can be transferred to mixtures. In this work, we comprehensively assess and exploit PCP-SAFT for modeling phase equilibria of mixtures. First, we provide binary interaction parameters for 7861 binary systems for which pure-component parameters and experimental data are available. Bubble and dew point pressures are described with a median deviation of 2.3 %. Secondly, we adjust a matrix of binary group/group interaction parameters for the homosegmented and heterosegmented group-contribution (GC) methods for PCP-SAFT. Among 1389 mixtures that can be described with the GC methods, the median deviation in bubble and dew point pressures are 6.4 % for the homosegmented approach and 5.1 % for the heterosegmented approach. The detailed analysis shows the importance of hydrogen bonds in mixtures of non-self-associating components with self-associating components. The parametrization is only possible by introducing a fast numerical method to calculate the derivative of bubble and dew point pressures with respect to arbitrarily many model parameters. The approach leverages reverse mode automatic differentiation (backpropagation), the same method used in machine learning to regress millions of model parameters to large datasets.

Modification of e-CPA for estimating phase equilibria and development of predictive models for electrical conductivity in aqueous electrolyte solutions

We modify the electrolyte cubic plus association equation of state (e-CPA EoS) and inetgrate it with two electrical conductivity models to estimate the electrical conductivity of 11 monovalent electrolytes solutions in water. The e-CPA EoS is modified by including the ion-ion and ion-solvent association interactions and tuned using experimental data of mean ionic activity coefficient and density of the electrolyte solutions. The modified e-CPA model shows a better performance in estimating the bubble pressure data. The hybridization of two electrical conductivity models with e-CPA results in two predictive models for estimating the electrical conduction of dilute and concentrated electrolyte solutions. Finally, we generalize these predictive models by correlating their model fitting parameters to the electrolyte physical parameters such as mean hard-sphere diameter or to association volume. The two predictive electrical conductivity models estimate electrical conductivity with AARD of 11.15 % and 13.87 % over wide ranges of temperature and electrolyte concentration.

Research on the collapse characteristics of single cavitation bubble near solid particle by the VOF method

In this paper, the collapse behavior of a single cavitation bubble at different distances near a solid particle of typical scales is numerically simulated and researched with the volume of fluid (VOF) method. Based on the key parameters analysis of the pressure field, velocity vector, collapse time the tendency of cavitation bubble collapse characteristics at different distances during the change of particle size is studied with the variable of the distance and relative size between the particle and the cavitation bubble. The dimensionless distance parameter ‘γ’ is specifically presented in the simulation process, the cavitation bubble collapse impact is largely directed to the particle when 3>γ > 2, while the wall hardly affects the interaction between the cavitation bubble and the solid particle as γ > 3. The results illustrate that as the solid particle and wall exist, the distance and particle size affect both the peak collapse pressure and the collapse jet velocity of the cavitation bubble, and the influence of solid wall on the cavitation bubble at the same distance is much greater than that of solid particles. When the particle size increases, the particle gradually affects the cavitation bubble in a way similar to the wall. While as the distance decreases or the particle size increases, the influence of particle and wall on the evolution process of the cavitation bubble expands, meanwhile, the collapse pressure and collapse jet velocity of the cavitation bubble are promoted with the optimized distance and particle size, which brings marvelous cavitation effect. The numerical methods and conclusions of this paper provide a valuable reference for cavitation applications of sand-containing fluids.

Research on two-phase thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication performance considering bubble dynamics

Gas-liquid two-phase fluid in the lubrication gap exist in many important engineering tribo-pairs. Based on the Reynolds equation, the bubble dynamics equation, and the full energy equation for two-phase fluids, the thermo-hydrodynamic lubrication problem in the lubrication gap is investigated. The evolution of the fluid phase composition with operating time and its impact on the thermodynamic properties are studied using the developed model. The mechanisms by which sliding velocity, clearance, surface dilatational viscosity, surface tension, and initial gas volume fraction affect two-phase fluid lubrication behavior are evaluated. The results show that hydrodynamic pressure-driven bubbles eventually condense in the dispersion area and have a major impact on the temperature distribution. Velocity and clearance affect the gas-phase expansion region and initial formation location in the steady state, respectively. The pressure amplitude, bubble expansion, and horizontal and vertical gas phase expansion in the dispersion zone were affected differently by surface dilatational viscosity and surface tension. It becomes difficult to preserve the initial gas-phase composition inside the pressure convergence zone when bubble migration is taken into account, which may be crucial for establishing gas-liquid two-phase lubrication.