Mass and heat transfer in audible sound driven bubbles

Abstract

Most research on sonoluminescence and sonochemistry has been conducted at acoustic frequencies above ∼20 kHz. Consequently, mathematical models for the dynamics of acoustically-driven bubbles have hardly been examined in the audible frequency spectrum. Here, we develop a new hybrid modelling approach that combines the rigour of the advection–diffusion model whilst retaining the simplicity of a reduced-order boundary layer model to predict phase-change, mass and heat transfer in an inertially collapsing bubble excited by audible sound. Differences in these approaches are explored through a thorough validation against experimental data obtained from ultra-high speed videos of bubble dynamics at 17.8 kHz. Our results indicate that, while the boundary layer model agrees well with the advection–diffusion model at high driving frequencies, there are significant deviations at lower frequencies, where the boundary layer model overpredicts parameters such as bubble size and quantity of trapped vapour while underpredicting others such as temperature and pressure. These deviations at lower frequencies is caused by an inaccurate estimation of the boundary layer thickness originating from the time-scale competition between diffusion and fast bubble wall motion. Our work questions the suitability of existing reduced-order models developed for ultrasonic frequencies when applied to the audible range, reinforcing that further research in the audible range is needed.

Keywords

• Acoustic cavitation
• Advection–diffusion
• Audible sound
• Boundary layer
• Single bubble dynamics