Jacques Magnaudet

The lift force on a spherical bubble in a viscous linear shear flow

The three-dimensional flow around a spherical bubble moving steadily in a viscous linear shear flow is studied numerically by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations. The bubble surface is assumed to be clean so that the outer flow obeys a zero-shear-stress condition and does not induce any rotation of the bubble. The main goal of the present study is to provide a complete description of the lift force experienced by the bubble and of the mechanisms responsible for this force over a wide range of Reynolds number (0.1[les ] Re [les ]500, Re being based on the bubble diameter) and shear rate (0[les ] Sr [les ]1, Sr being the ratio between the velocity difference across the bubble and the relative velocity). For that purpose the structure of the flow field, the influence of the Reynolds number on the streamwise vorticity field and the distribution of the tangential velocities at the surface of the bubble are first studied in detail. It is shown that the latter distribution which plays a central role in the production of the lift force is dramatically dependent on viscous effects. The numerical results concerning the lift coefficient reveal very different behaviours at low and high Reynolds numbers. These two asymptotic regimes shed light on the respective roles played by the vorticity produced at the bubble surface and by that contained in the undisturbed flow. At low Reynolds number it is found that the lift coefficient depends strongly on both the Reynolds number and the shear rate. In contrast, for moderate to high Reynolds numbers these dependences are found to be very weak. The numerical values obtained for the lift coefficient agree very well with available asymptotic results in the low- and high-Reynolds-number limits. The range of validity of these asymptotic solutions is specified by varying the characteristic parameters of the problem and examining the corresponding evolution of the lift coefficient. The numerical results are also used for obtaining empirical correlations useful for practical calculations at finite Reynolds number. The transient behaviour of the lift force is then examined. It is found that, starting from the undisturbed flow, the value of the lift force at short time differs from its steady value, even when the Reynolds number is high, because the vorticity field needs a finite time to reach its steady distribution. This finding is confirmed by an analytical derivation of the initial value of the lift coefficient in an inviscid shear flow. Finally, a specific investigation of the evolution of the lift and drag coefficients with the shear rate at high Reynolds number is carried out. It is found that when the shear rate becomes large, i.e. Sr = O (1), a small but consistent decrease of the lift coefficient occurs while a very significant increase of the drag coefficient, essentially produced by the modifications of the pressure distribution, is observed. Some of the foregoing results are used to show that the well-known equality between the added mass coefficient and the lift coefficient holds only in the limit of weak shears and nearly steady flows.

Accelerated flows past a rigid sphere or a spherical bubble. Part 1. Steady straining flow

This work reports the first part of a series of numerical simulations carried out in order to improve knowledge of the forces acting on a sphere embedded in accelerated flows at finite Reynolds number, Re. Among these forces added mass and history effects are particularly important in order to determine accurately particle and bubble trajectories in real flows. To compute these hydrodynamic forces and more generally to study spatially or temporally accelerated flows around a sphere, the full Navier–Stokes equations expressed in velocity–pressure variables are solved by using a finite-volume approach. Computations are carried out over the range 0.1 ≤ Re ≤ 300 for flows around both a rigid sphere and an inviscid spherical bubble, and a systematic comparison of the flows around these two kinds of bodies is presented. Steady uniform flow is first considered in order to test the accuracy of the simulations and to serve as a reference case for comparing with accelerated situations. Axisymmetric straining flow which constitutes the simplest spatially accelerated flow in which a sphere can be embedded is then studied. It is shown that owing to the viscous boundary condition on the body as well as to vorticity transport properties, the presence of the strain modifies deeply the distribution of vorticity around the sphere. This modification has spectacular consequences in the case of a rigid sphere because it influences strongly the conditions under which separation occurs as well as the characteristics of the separated region. Another very original feature of the axisymmetric straining flow lies in the vortex-stretching mechanism existing in this situation. In a converging flow this mechanism acts to reduce vorticity in the wake of the sphere. In contrast when the flow is divergent, vorticity produced at the surface of the sphere tends to grow indefinitely as it is transported downstream. It is shown that in the case where such a diverging flow extends to infinity a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability may occur in the wake. Computations of the hydrodynamic force show that the effects of the strain increase rapidly with the Reynolds number. At high Reynolds numbers the total drag is dramatically modified and the evaluation of the pressure contribution shows that the sphere undergoes an added mass force whose coefficient remains the same as in inviscid flow or in creeping flow, i.e. C M = ½, whatever the Reynolds number. Changes found in vorticity distribution around the rigid sphere also affect the viscous drag, which is markedly increased (resp. decreased) in converging (resp. diverging) flows at high Reynolds numbers.

The effects of slightly soluble surfactants on the flow around a spherical bubble

This paper reports the results of a numerical investigation of the transient evolution of the flow around a spherical bubble rising in a liquid contaminated by a weakly soluble surfactant. For that purpose the full Navier–Stokes equations are solved together with the bulk and interfacial surfactant concentration equations, using values of the physical-chemical constants of a typical surfactant characterized by a simple surface kinetics. The whole system is strongly coupled by nonlinear boundary conditions linking the diffusion flux and the interfacial shear stress to the interfacial surfactant concentration and its gradient. The influence of surfactant characteristics is studied by varying arbitrarily some physical-chemical parameters. In all cases, starting from the flow around a clean bubble, the results describe the temporal evolution of the relevant scalar and dynamic interfacial quantities as well as the changes in the flow structure and the increase of the drag coefficient. Since surface diffusion is extremely weak compared to advection, part of the bubble (and in certain cases all the interface) tends to become stagnant. This results in a dramatic increase of the drag which in several cases reaches the value corresponding to a rigid sphere. The present results confirm the validity of the well-known stagnant-cap model for describing the flow around a bubble contaminated by slightly soluble surfactants. They also show that a simple relation between the cap angle and the bulk concentration cannot generally be obtained because diffusion from the bulk plays a significant role.

Large-eddy simulation of high-Schmidt number mass transfer in a turbulent channel flow

Mass transfer through the solid boundary of a turbulent channel flow is analyzed by means of large-eddy simulation (LES) for Schmidt numbers Sc=1, 100, and 200. For that purpose the subgrid stresses and fluxes are closed using the Dynamic Mixed Model proposed by Zang et al. [Phys. Fluids A 5, 3186 (1993)]. At each Schmidt number the mass transfer coefficient given by the LES is found to be in very good quantitative agreement with that measured in the experiments. At high Schmidt number this coefficient behaves like Sc−2/3, as predicted by standard theory and observed in most experiments. The main statistical characteristics of the fluctuating concentration field are analyzed in connection with the well-documented statistics of the turbulent motions. It is observed that concentration fluctuations have a significant intensity throughout the channel at Sc=1 while they are negligible out of the wall region at Sc=200. The maximum intensity of these fluctuations depends on both the Schmidt and Reynolds numbers ...

Hydrodynamic interactions between two spherical bubbles rising side by side in a viscous liquid

The three-dimensional flow past two identical spherical bubbles moving side by side in a viscous fluid is studied numerically by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations. The bubble surface is assumed to be clean so that the outer flow obeys a zero-shear-stress condition. The present study describes the interaction between the two bubbles over a wide range of Reynolds number (

The transverse force on clean and contaminated bubbles rising near a vertical wall at moderate Reynolds number

0.02\,{\le}\,Re\,{\le}\,500

The viscous drag force on a spherical bubble with a time-dependent radius

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Bifurcations and symmetry breaking in the wake of axisymmetric bodies

Re

Wake instability of a fixed spheroidal bubble

being based on the bubble diameter and rise velocity), and separation

Turbulent structure beneath surface gravity waves sheared by the wind

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