Numerical Study on Single-Bubble Contraction–Rebound Characteristics in Cryogenic Fluids

Abstract

In cryogenic fluid storage and delivery, the rapid contraction and rebound of bubbles are prone to occur during bubble collapse due to the pressure saltation. With the contraction and rebound of bubbles, the pressure and temperature in the bubbles fluctuate greatly, which affects the service life of fluid machinery. During bubble contraction and rebound, there is an accompanied complex heat and mass transfer process. According to the thermal properties of cryogenic fluids, a single-bubble collapse model is proposed considering the temperature variations inside the bubble. In order to study the variation in temperature and pressure during bubble collapse in cryogenic fluids, the contraction and rebound of a single bubble in liquid hydrogen are investigated numerically under various operating pressures and supercooling degrees. The numerical results of the model indicate that there are periodic contraction and rebound of the bubble when the pressure rises suddenly. Furthermore, the periods and attenuation rates of bubbles in different media are studied and compared. For the most concerned pressure and temperature characteristics, the relationship between the peak pressure, the attenuation rate of the temperature and the dimensionless number is proposed.

Keywords

• single bubble
• oscillation
• attenuation rate
• periodicity
• supercooling degree
• operating pressure