Simulation of three-dimensional bubble formation and interaction using the high-density-ratio lattice Boltzmann method

The growth and departure of bubbles from an orifice and their interactions is a common phenomenon. In this paper, a multiphase flow model based on the lattice Boltzmann method is constructed to study this process, with an improved interface capture method being adopted to deal with the high density ratio between liquid and gas. A virtual layer is added outside the computational domain to handle the boundary condition at the orifice. The processes of bubble formation and interaction are well simulated by the model, and the results agree well with those of theoretical calculations for single-bubble formation and departure diameter and period. Bubble formation is controlled by the inertial force of the gas, buoyancy, surface tension, and the viscous force of the liquid. The inertial force of the gas and buoyancy promote bubble growth and departure, respectively, while the surface tension controls bubble deformation and the viscous force affects the necking process. Increases in both the orifice size and the gas outflow velocity can enlarge the departure diameter of the bubble, but the orifice size plays a more important role here. Both of these two parameters have obvious effects on the departure period. For the interaction of bubbles growing from orifices with the same or different sizes, different coalescence categories are distinguished according to the stage of coalescence, and the characteristics of the coalescence process are considered in terms of their dependence on surface tension, viscous force, and buoyancy. Finally, the departure diameter and departure period of coalesced bubbles are studied under the different coalescence conditions. Published under license by AIP Publishing.