Numerical Investigation of Gas Bubble Interaction in a Circular Cross-Section Channel in Shear Flow

Abstract

This work’s goal is to numerically investigate the interactions between two gas bubbles in a fluid flow in a circular cross-section channel, both in the presence and in the absence of gravitational forces, with several Reynolds and Weber numbers. The first bubble is placed at the center of the channel, while the second is near the wall. Their positions are set in such a way that a dynamic interaction is expected to occur due to their velocity differences. A finite element numerical tool is utilized to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations and simulate two-phase flow using an unfitted mesh to represent the fluid interface, akin to the front-tracking method. The results show that the velocity gradient influences bubble shapes near the wall. Moreover, lower viscosity and surface tension force account for more significant interactions, both in the bubble shape and in the trajectory. In this scenario, it can be observed that one bubble is trapped in the other’s wake, with the proximity possibly allowing the onset of coalescence. The results obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of two-phase inner flows.

Keywords

• two-phase flow
• semi-Lagrangian method
• Laplace–Beltrami operator
• CFD