Single bubble breakup in the flow field induced by a horizontal jet-The experimental research

Bubble breakup in multiphase reactors has a direct and important impact on the mass transfer and reaction process. This paper experimentally investigated the single bubble behaviors of deformation and breakup under the affecting of a jet submerged in a water-filled tank. The dispersed phase motion was captured by a high speed camera, while the continuous phase flow field was analyzed by Particle Image Velocimetry. By changing the downstream location of bubble generation, the liquid flow rate and the initial bubble size, the breakup processes were analyzed and discussed. The breakup point, break pattern, and distribution of daughter bubbles were summarized. The position where the bubble gets the maximum acceleration was defined as the shear position, and the forces on the bubble at the shear position had a significant impact on whether breakup will occur. The expected bubble number, which could reflect a combination of the breakup probability and daughter bubbles distribution, was defined and found to be directly proportional to the capillary number of bubbles at the shear position. The research result will contribute to promoting the understanding and control of multiphase flow, and providing a theoretical basis and technical support for the design and optimization of multiphase reactors.