Formation of a submillimeter bubble from an orifice using pulsed acoustic pressure waves in gas phase

The mechanism of a bubble production method using pulsed acoustic pressure waves in gas phase is investigated using high-speed photography. The acoustic characteristics of the present bubble generator are also investigated. We found out the optimal acoustic waveform for producing only one bubble per one action; the bubble detachment radius is accurately controlled by first applying the positive onset-assistance acoustic pressure wave and then the negative detachment-assistance acoustic pressure wave with an accurately controlled time lapse. From an orifice with a radius of 0.09 mm submerged in water, bubbles with radii in the range of 0.28-0.78 mm with an extremely small standard deviation of less than 1 mu m are obtained. The shrinking and pinch-off motions of a capillary bridge connecting the bubble and orifice at the time of bubble detachment are observed in detail. The balancing force on a growing bubble, which is based on a spherical bubble formation model is also estimated. As a result, we reveal that when the gas pressure is decreased due to a negative pressure wave, the capillary bridge submerges into the orifice and an upward added mass force is applied on the bubble, both of which cause the detachment of the bubble from the orifice. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.