An Experimental Investigation for Bubble Rising in Non-Newtonian Fluids and Empirical Correlation of Drag Coefficient

The velocity, shape, and trajectory of the rising bubble in polyacrylamide (PAM) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) aqueous solutions were experimentally investigated using a set of homemade velocimeters and a video camera. The effects of gas the flowrate and solution concentration on the bubble terminal velocity were examined respectively. Results show that the terminal velocity of the bubble increases with the increase in the gas flowrate and the decrease in the solution concentration. The shape of the bubble is gradually flattened horizontally to an ellipsoid with the increase in the Reynolds number (Re), Eoumltvoumls number (Eo), and Morton number (Mo). With the increase in the Re and Eo, the rising bubble in PAM aqueous solutions begin to oscillate, but there is no oscillation phenomena for CMC aqueous solutions. By dimensional analysis, the drag coefficient of a single bubble in non-Newtonian fluids in a moderate Reynolds number was correlated as a function of Re, Eo, and Archimedes number (Ar) based on the equivalent bubble diameter. The predicted results by the present correlation agree well with the experimental data.