Numerical investigation on coalescence of bubble pairs rising in a stagnant liquid

Flow regime identification in gas-liquid flow and three-phase fluidized beds

The interfacial area per unit volume is one of the key parameters in bubbly flow. Momentum, mass and energy transfer occur through the interface between the phases. The functionality of two phase reactors with bubbly flow depends mainly on these three transfer processes. Thus, the design process of a reactor requires the prediction of interfacial area density. In the present work a simple equation for the interfacial area density is derived from the population balance, taking into account the events of coalescence and bubble break-up for each bubble fraction. The system of partial integro-differential equations is simplified. Since the integrals in these equations complicate a numerical treatment. This reduces the balance to one single partial differential equation. An approximate analytical solution is given. If the resulting equation is applied to large gas fluxes, the instability of the coalescence process causes large bubbles and gas plugs to develop. From the instability the volume fraction of the large bubbles and gas plugs may be predicted. Additives may hinder the coalescence process. Experiments show that coalescence hindrance changes the coalescence kernel only by a factor. Calculations are done for bubble columns and vertical pipe flow.

Interfacial area density in bubbly flow

Effects of viscosity on coalescence of a bubble upon impact with a free surface

Northern peatlands are one of the largest natural sources of atmospheric methane (CH 4 ), and it is important to understand the mechanisms of CH 4 loss from these peatlands so that future rates of CH 4 emission can be predicted. CH 4 is lost to the atmosphere from peatlands by diffusion, by plant transport, and as bubbles (ebullition). We argue that ebullition has not been accounted for properly in many previous studies, both in terms of measurement and the conceptualization of the mechanisms involved. We present a new conceptual model of bubble buildup and release that emphasizes the importance of near-surface peat as a source of atmospheric CH 4 . We review two possible approaches to modeling bubble buildup and loss within peat soils: the recently proposed bubble threshold approach and a fully computational-fluid-dynamics approach. We suggest that neither satisfies the needs of peatland CH 4 models, and we propose a new reduced-complexity approach that conceptualizes bubble buildup and release as broadly similar to an upside down sandpile. Unlike the threshold approach, our model allows bubbles to accumulate at different depths within the peat profile according to peat structure, yet it retains the simplicity of many cellular (including cellular automata) models. Comparison of the results from one prototype of our model with data from a laboratory experiment suggests that the model captures some of the key dynamics of ebullition in that it reproduces well observed frequency-magnitude relationships. We outline ways in which the model may be further developed to improve its predictive capabilities.

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R.K. Das

Papers

Bubble to slug flow transition in vertical upward two-phase flow through narrow tubes