BUBBLE BREAKAGE IN PIPELINE FLOW

The rate of bubble breakage in turbulent liquid flow was examined using a population balance containing a bubble breakage model to analyze experimental bubble breakage rate data. The bubble breakage model was based on high-speed motion photography observations of the breakage process in turbulent liquid pipeline flow. The bubble breakage model predicts the number of bubbles formed from a breakage, the size of the bubbles formed and the rate of bubble breakage. Bubble breakage was determined to be binary; bubble breakage size was described by a breakage size function in which unequal bubble sizes had a higher probability of being formed compared to equal bubble sizes; and the breakage rate was assumed to be first order with respect to the number of bubbles of a given size. The value of the breakage rate constant was found to be approximately equal to the frequency of the second mode of oscillation of the maximum stable bubble size in a given turbulent flow. © 1990.