Affiliations: [a] Institute of Fluid Mechanics, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China | [b] Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Limin Qiu, Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, China. E-mail:limin.qiu@zju.edu.cn
Abstract: A numerical investigation of gas bubble
merging in a liquid is carried out via the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) in
this work. The bubble merging process dependence on the bubble gap and the
surface tension is obtained. It is found that the critical gap for bubble
merging is smaller for smaller surface tension coefficients. Additionally,
the merging velocity is computed to illustrate the merging process, which
shows a rapid damping oscillation. The peak merging velocity value and the
time taken to reach the peak velocity are found to be linear with the
surface tension coefficient in a log-log coordinate system. The effects of
fluid viscosity and the bubble gap on the merging velocity are also
examined. Finally, the merging patterns for multiple bubbles are presented.
Keywords: Gas bubble, merge, lattice Boltzmann method
