Numerical Investigation on Wake of Single Air Bubble Rising in Narrow Rectangular Channel

Abstract

A wake is closely related to bubble interaction, which might influence the flow regime’s evolution and transition in two phase flow. In the present paper, length and flow patterns of the wake of a single air bubble rising in a vertical narrow rectangular channel was numerically studied, and correlations with dimensionless numbers, obtained from dimensional analysis for wake length calculations, were fitted. The cross section of the rectangular channel was 60× 2 mm2 , and bubbles with diameter of 2.0-22.0 mm rising in a stagnant fluid were calculated with the VOF model. Investigations on the wake of single air bubbles are of fundamental significance to disclosure differences between air-water and vapor-water two phase flow regimes from the microscopic view in a narrow rectangular channel.