NUMERICAL-ANALYSIS OF BUBBLE MOTION WITH THE VOF METHOD

Numerical analyses of a two-dimensional single bubble in a stagnant liquid and in a linear shear flow were conducted in the present study using the volume of fluid method, which is based on the local-instantaneous field equations. It was clarified that this method gives qualitatively appropriate predictions for the effects of the Morton number and the Eotvos number on fluctuating bubble motion in a stagnant liquid. Calculated velocity and pressure distributions indicated that the Karman vortex causes a sinuous movement of the bubble. As for the bubble motion in a linear shear flow, calculated bubbles migrated in a lateral direction. The direction of the lateral migration agreed to available experimental data. It was also confirmed that (i) the direction or the magnitude of the lateral migration is affected by the Eotvos and the Morton numbers, and (ii) the interaction among the internal flow of the bubble, the wake of the bubble and the external shear flow plays an essential role for the lateral migration.