Jet drops ejection in bursting gas bubble processes

The numerical simulation using a boundary element method is presented for a gas bubble bursting at a free surface in a potential flow with a viscous fluid assumption. Systematic comparisons are given with experimental data on the first "jet drop" size in relation with the parent bubble size, and on the critical bubble radius above which no jet drop forms. The computations were made for different liquids. It is pointed out that an exact description of the jet formation and break up requires the complete Navier-Stokes equations only in the final phase of the evolution. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.