Bubble sizes and shapes in a counter-current bubble column with pure and binary liquid phases

It is generally admitted that the “global-scale” behavior of bubble columns is imposed by the “local-scale” phenomena. For this reason, understanding the fluid dynamics in bubble columns relies on the precise knowledge of the so-called “birth and life” of bubbles. A-priori knowledge of the bubble sizes and shapes is required to characterize the “local-scale”, to understand the “global-scale”, to set-up and validate numerical models, as well as to support scaling-up methods towards the “industrial-scale”. This paper contributes to the present-day discussion by proposing an experimental research devoted to clarify the relationships between the bubble sizes and shapes, the integral flow parameters, and the liquid phase properties. The experimental study, based on a bubble-identification methods, was performed in a “large-scale” bubble column (inner diameter equal to 0.24 m, height equal to 5.3 m) operated in the batch and in the counter-current modes with pure (deionized water) and binary (mixture of ethanol and deionized water) liquid phases. The system was operated in the pseudo-homogeneous flow regime with superficial gas velocities in the range of 0.0037–0.0188 m/s and superficial liquid velocity, in the counter-current mode, equal to −0.066 m/s. In the different experimental runs, bubble size distributions and shapes were obtained at different radial and axial locations. The experimental observations have been presented, compared with literature correlations, used to develop novel correlations (to be applied in practical applications), compared with previously obtained experimental data and interpreted in a multi-scale point of view. The comprehensive dataset obtained within this research may be used to improve the validation of numerical approaches and, in particular, to tackle the unsolved issue of developing break-up and coalescence kernels.     

Effect of superhydrophobic surfaces on bubble column flow dynamics

Bubbly flow in bubble column reactors promotes mixing necessary for many chemical processes. We show that if superhydrophobic-coated material is introduced into a bubble column, there can be a substantial difference in gas holdup and earlier initiation of churn-turbulent flow which can alter larger-scale mixing without a need to change the superficial gas velocity. Addition of superhydrophobic surface can also cause bubbles to (directly or indirectly assisted by the surface) escape faster to the free surface resulting in a reduced void fraction (i.e., reduced gas holdup). As the flow becomes optically opaque at few percent gas phase volume fraction, we utilize two dual plane wire mesh sensors to obtain velocity profiles and bubble size distributions, in addition to the traditional pressure and level based gas holdup measurements to calculate average phase fraction. Additionally, a custom build photon-counting dual energy threshold X-ray computed tomography system is employed to get a higher resolution measurement of the time average phase fraction non-intrusively. We report satisfactory agreement between these techniques with differences arising for understood reasons, and use the insight thus yielded to discuss the effect of superhydrophobic surfaces on bubble column flow dynamics.     

多尺度气泡尺寸分布数字图像测量方法研究

鼓泡塔是一种广泛应用于能源和环境领域的多相流反应器,鼓泡塔中气泡的大小和浓度对于研究鼓泡塔中"三传一反"过程具有重要意义。采用高速摄像法和数字图像处理技术开展了鼓泡塔中内多尺度气泡尺寸分布测量研究,针对气泡识别过程中密集气泡易发生重叠的问题,提出基于曲率计算的凹点匹配与圆周拟合的重叠气泡分割与轮廓重构算法。搭建了鼓泡塔反应器实验装置,针对星型、均匀和方形3种不同进气孔形态的气泡分布器开展了实验研究,分析了不同尺度气泡的尺寸分布规律。试验结果表明:该算法不仅能够有效地从图像中提取轮廓清晰完整的气泡,而且能够对图像粘连重叠的气泡进行准确分割,从而可精确地获得多尺度气泡尺寸分布。随着气体流量的增加,小气泡的数量急剧增加,同时产生更大的气泡;气泡的最大直径和Sauter平均直径均随气体流量的增加而增大,且两者的比值基本保持不变,即分布器形式对气泡尺寸分布均匀性有影响,方形分布器产生气泡最均匀,气含率相对其他两种分布器更高。实验结果证明了图像分割与轮廓重构方法在气液两相流中气泡参数在线测量的可行性。     

Characterization of multiphase flow in bubble columns using KT-1 signature and fractal dimension

This work presents the analysis of phase fraction distribution in bubble column reactor using KT-1 signature and fractal dimension. The experiment was carried out using X-ray CT scanner at Leibniz University Hannover. Convolution back projection algorithm is used to obtain the cross-sectional attenuation coefficient distribution. Individual phase distributions of the three phases (air, water and PVC), across the column cross-section, have been obtained using dual energy X-ray tomography. This paper reports measurement of phase fraction distribution at a cross-section level located at 3.2 m from the inlet. The effect of variation of PVC concentration on phase fraction distribution of air and PVC has been investigated. Analysis of reconstructed phase fraction using KT-1 signature and fractal dimension reveals interesting information regarding the flow regime transition and mixing phenomenon in the bubble column.     

Experimental PIV and LIF characterization of a bubble column flow

Experimental 2D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements, with uniform background lighting and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) of the tracking particles, were performed in order to characterize the air-water biphasic flow and the 2D bubble column rising velocity in static water. Some applications require knowledge of the simultaneity of two-phase flow characteristics. The two phase flow air/water are common application in industry as chemical, hydraulic and nuclear industry, water treatment by aeration, and measurements are implemented to characterize the behaviour of the air bubbles column flow. The bubble flow studied in this paper is related to the optimization of the aeration in hydraulic turbines with micro-bubbles. The first step of this study, presented in the paper, is a complete characterization of a bubble column issued from a metallic sparger with holes of 0.5 mm diameter. For its complete characterization is determined simultaneously, via image processing technics, the flow velocity field induced by the column of bubbles in water, and the bubbles features: the bubble ascension velocity, diameter variation, interfacial area and shape factor. The results are compared with bibliographical data.     

Optimisation of four-sensor probes for measuring bubble velocity components in bubbly air-water and oil-water flows

In a previous paper Lucas and Mishra (2005) [3] a local four-sensor conductance probe was introduced to measure the velocity vectors of dispersed bubbles in bubbly two-phase flow in which the continuous phase is water. There are a very limited number of alternative methods available for bubble velocity vector measurement with which results from, for example, computational fluid dynamic models can be compared and so the four-sensor probe technique is of interest to the multiphase flow community. In the previous paper [3] a mathematical model was presented to calculate the velocity vector of each gas bubble from seven time intervals which were measured using the output signals from each of four ‘needle’ conductance sensors located within the probe. In the present paper, a new technique for making the local four-sensor probe is introduced to minimise interference with the measured bubbles. A new signal processing method is presented using criteria to ensure that (i) the group of sensor signals from which the bubble velocity vector is to be determined are all produced by the same bubble and (ii) bubbles which contact the local four-sensor probe in an ambiguous manner are ignored. The accuracy with which the locations of each of the rear sensors in the probe relative to the lead sensor can be measured influences the accuracy with which the bubble velocity vector can be measured. However, the degree to which the accuracy of the measured velocity vector is affected by errors in the measured probe dimensions is dependent upon the geometrical arrangement of the four sensors within the probe. Experimental results and an error analysis are presented which show that the susceptibility of the velocity vector measurement technique to errors in the measured probe dimensions is reduced if the geometrical arrangement of the four sensors is optimised. As a result of this initial work, an optimised probe, known as the P30 probe, was designed and built and results obtained from the P30 probe in swirling oil-in-water bubbly flow are presented. A probe calibration factor is defined in this paper which can be interpreted as a measure of the interference of a probe with the motion of the bubbles with which it interacts. For the probes described in this paper the calibration factor was found to be much closer to unity than for previous four-sensor probes described in the literature (e.g. [3]) suggesting that these new probes have a much smaller effect on the bubbles’ motion than previous probes.     

一种泡沫柱中气泡特性的测试装置

介绍了采用光－电原理测试泡沫柱中气泡特性的装置。采用两对红外发射对管作传感器，数据采集采用单片机，一次可采集１００００个气泡。通过计算机进行数据处理，可获得气泡的平均直径、气泡分布、含气率及气泡密度。用该装置测试具有迅速、准确、适应范围广的特点。     

Characterisation of a high concentration ionic bubble column using electrical resistance tomography

Attentions has been given to ionic liquids as an alternative physical solvent for carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorption because of their potential for gas selectivity, absorption capacity and low desorption energy by tailoring the molecules. Ionic liquid normally have a high viscosity, which influences the performance of absorption processes, and therefore, efficiency. This study investigates the hydrodynamics of ionic liquids in a two-phase gas–liquid flow by determination of the bubble formation, distribution of gas and bubble velocity profiles. A dual plane electrical resistance tomography (ERT) system and an optical imaging device were applied to a bubble column reactor of 50 mm internal diameter for the study. The model ionic liquids were aqueous solutions of sodium chloride (NaCl) with conductivity adjusted by altering the concentration of NaCl. Gas holdup has been estimated by analyses of conductivity data obtained from ERT by application of Maxwell's relationship which reveals significant increase in gas holdup as ionic concentration increases and is in good agreement with other studies.     

Experimental study on bubble size distribution of subcooled flow boiling in cylinder head of internal combustion engines

Subcooled flow boiling is becoming an efficient and widely used heat transfer approach in internal combustion engine cooling systems. Bubble evolution behaviors are crucial for understanding the mechanism of subcooled flow boiling. In this study, a diesel engine test platform equipped with endoscopic high-speed photography system was built to investigate the characteristics of boiling bubble. Under various inlet liquid subcoolings and flow rates, the mean bubble diameters and bubble size distributions were measured and analyzed based on the image processing techniques. Most of the bubbles approximated the spherical and ellipsoidal shapes. The bubble size was distributed between 1 and 2.5 mm, and the bubble diameters increased with the decrease of the inlet subcooling and flow rate. The flow rate had a more significant effect on the formation of large boiling bubbles.

     

Measurement of gas holdup profiles in a gas liquid cocurrent bubble column using electrical resistance tomography

Radial variation of the gas holdup and mean holdups were investigated in a 0.160 m i.d. bubble column using electrical resistance tomography with two axial locations (Plane 1 and Plane 2). In all the experiments tap water was used the liquid phase and air was the gas phase. Superficial gas velocity was varied from 0.02 to 0.25 m/s, and superficial liquid velocity varied from 0 to 0.011 m/s. The effect of liquid velocity on the mean holdups and radial gas holdup distribution was discussed. The experimental results showed the liquid velocity slightly influence the mean holdup and radial hold-ups distribution in the operating condition, and the liquid flow can improve the transition gas velocity for the homogeneous regime to heterogeneous regime. Meanwhile the mean gas holdups as a function of gas velocity were derived from using differential pressure method and electrical resistance tomography method. The agreement between results obtained by these two methods is generally very good in the homogeneous regime. But in the transition regime and heterogeneous regime, results with ERT are slightly larger than one with the differential pressure method. According to the experimental results, a correlation for the centreline holdup is obtained.     

Characterization of the hydrodynamic flow regime in bubble columns via computed tomography

The current work evaluates the potential of Computed Tomography (CT) measurements for flow regime characterization. Experiments were carried out in a pilot scale (0.162 m diameter) bubble column using an air–Therminol LT system at ambient as well high operating pressures (0.4 and 1 MPa). The superficial gas velocities were varied from 1 to 20 cm/s at intervals of 1 cm/s. The steepness of the gas holdup radial profile was analyzed to demarcate the hydrodynamic flow regime. The regime transition velocities obtained from CT measurements are compared with the drift flux model. An increase in operating pressure was found to delay the regime transition and at higher pressures, a transition occurred over a range of superficial gas velocities. The current state of correlation prediction is evaluated against the experimental transition velocities.     

Measurement of particle/bubble motion and turbulence around it by hybrid PIV

Characteristics of bubble flow are influenced by bubble motion, liquid flow and interactions between bubbles, and between a bubble and liquid phase. Thus because behavior of a single bubble and liquid around it is regarded as one of the basic elements characterizing bubble flow, the single bubble motion in stagnant water was investigated experimentally by using flow visualization and image processing methods. The bubble motion is influenced by several factors, that is, bubble size, density difference between gas and liquid, bubble shape and deformation in motion. In order to separate the effect of each factor, some solid particles with different size, shape and/or density were also measured and the characteristic of each factor was discussed. Two-dimensional water velocity field and the motion of a rising particle/bubble in the water were simultaneously measured by PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry), respectively (Hybrid PIV). The experimental results showed that the large density difference between a particle and water caused high relative velocity and induced zigzag motion of the particle. Furthermore, the turbulence intensity of a bubble was about twice in the case of the spherical solid particle of similar diameter.     

Analysis of two-phase flow regimes and parameter distribution in 5 x 5 rod bundle using image processing techniques

With the recent developments in image processing and analysis, this paper presents bubble characteristics distribution in adiabatic air-water two-phase flow through a 5 × 5 rod bundle. The experiment covered water superficial velocities (J_l = 0.012 m/s – 0.421 m/s) and air superficial velocities (J_g = 0.042 m/s – 0.987 m/s) in which three distinct flow regimes were identified. The flow regime map was compared with existing flow regime transition criteria for vertical rod bundles. Distinct features from the two-phase flow images were extracted to train a classifier model to distinguish between regimes from a separate experiment. The model distinguishes between the bubbly flow regime and others accurately. The void fraction and velocity distributions were also extracted from the R–CCN masked images. Bubble-induced turbulence that was dominant in the subchannel at (J_l = 0.28 m/s) shifted to the outer subchannels and gaps when the flow rate increased (J_l = 0.42 m/s). These methods over-predicted the void faction around the surfaces of the inner rods.     

Optimization in PIV algorithm for visualizing vortices in bubble wake

The PIV (Particle image velocimetry) is the most commonly used method for flow field observation because of its high efficiency and non-interference to the flow field. This study aims to clarify the optimal parameter conditions used in the cross-correlation algorithm of PIV for flow fields with vortices. The influence factors on the error of the cross-correlation algorithm are analyzed and discussed using a synthetic flow field, including the seeding conditions, the velocity gradient and vortex size. It is confirmed that the minimum particle number density per interrogation window is about 10, which generally limits the minimum size of the window. For a vortex, when the vortex size is fixed, the velocity gradient corresponding to the characteristic velocity both controls the lower and upper limitation of window size. For a relatively small vortex, generally a window not larger than the vortex size is asked. Then, a strategy to improve the observation based on the existing equipment is discussed and applied to visualize a rising bubble wake based on LIF (Laser-induced fluorescence) images.     

Experimental study on bubble motion in a rectangular bubble column using high-speed video observations

A two-phase flow in a rectangular bubble column of 100×20 mm cross-section and 1.5 mm height was studied using a high-speed video system. Series of images were taken at different elevations at a frequency of 500 Hz. The images were processed using a bubble recognition algorithm. In such a way, an individual bubble in the gas swarm could be tracked. The time-averaged velocity profiles and the turbulent diffusion coefficients were derived as a function of the superficial gas velocity.The lateral displacement of bubbles travelling over a certain vertical distance was transformed into a probability density distribution in order to measure the turbulent diffusion coefficient of the gaseous phase. The shape of the distributions obtained was found to fit well to the Gaussian standard distribution. The dispersion coefficients were observed to grow proportionally to the square root of the vertical distance. The diffusion coefficients were calculated from the proportionality factor and were compared with some correlations published in the literature. The experiments were performed for superficial gas velocities ranging from 1 to 6 mm/s. The bubbles were generated either by a porous sparger or a set of capillaries placed at the bottom of the column. The measurements were taken at different heights between 1 and 1.2 m where the bubble cloud was occupying the entire cross-section.     

Capacitance wire mesh imaging of bubbly flows for offshore treatment applications

The impact of ship motion on bubbly flow was emulated using a swell simulator to expose flow structure changes emerging in bubble columns relevant to offshore floating applications. Roll, roll+pitch, yaw, heave and sway were implemented at various frequencies and changes in bubbly flow resulting from the imposed motions were monitored for the first time by means of a dual capacitance wire mesh sensor to measure local gas holdup and velocity. Visualizations of the two-phase flow revealed that roll, roll+pitch, and high-frequency sway were the most impactful in terms of bubble zigzag and swirl, and bubble-clustering and segregation due to vessel dynamic inclinations. As a consequence of these motions, lateral migration of bubbles and their clustering enhanced liquid recirculation and local streamwise gas velocity. Compared to static vertical bubble column, bubbly flow pattern was barely altered by yaw and low-frequency sway except the heave displacements which tended to slowdown the bubble rise.     

Three-dimensional visualisation of gas-water two-phase flow based on bubble mapping method and size projection algorithm

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has been successfully applied on gas-water flow applications, but it is incapable to identify small bubbles or the sharp gas-water interface of a large bubble due to its relatively low spatial resolution. A new visualisation approach, bubble mapping method (BM3D), offers a good 3D visualisation of bubble size and distribution. However, the empirical thresholding value method used in BM3D might meet a challenging from various flow setups and conditions in practice. Recently, the size projection algorithm (SPA) was proposed to determine the closest thresholding value for each frame of tomogram by minimising projection error. In this paper, the performances of BM3D and SPA methods are individually analysed and evaluated. Then a new method based on the combination of BM3D and SPA methods is reported to achieve better visualisation of gas-water flow, where the SPA is employed to determine the optimised thresholding values for BM3D method. Experiments are conducted to evaluate the proposed combination method for typical gas-water pipeline flow regimes, including horizontal stratified, bubble, plug, slug, annular flow regimes and vertical bubble, slug, annular flow regimes. The results are compared with the BM3D method, colour mapping method, and high-speed camera video recorded from a transparent chamber. A brief discussion on the effects of reconstruction algorithms and thresholding value for horizontal and vertical flows visualisation is also given.     

Characteristic flow patterns and aerodynamic performance on a forward-swept wing

This investigation elucidates the effects of Reynolds number (Re) and angle of attack (??) on the boundary-layer flow patterns, aerodynamic performance, flow behaviors and vortex shedding. This investigation applies a finite NACA 0012 forward-swept wing with the forward-sweep angle (??) of 15°. The Reynolds numbers were tested in the range of 4.6 × 10⁴ < Re < 10⁵. The wing chord length is 6 cm and the semi-wing span is 30 cm, such that the full-span wing aspect ratio is 10. The surface oil-flow scheme was utilized to visualize the boundary-layer flow structures. The hot-wire anemometer was applied to measure the vortex-shedding frequency behind the forwardswept wing. Furthermore, a force-moment sensor was applied to measure the aerodynamic loadings. The surface oil-flow patterns are classified into six characteristic flow modes ?? separation, separation bubble, secondary separation, leading-edge bubble, bubble extension and bluff-body wake modes. Additionally, the output of force-moment sensor and the visualized boundary-layer flow configurations indicate that the aerodynamic performance is closely related to the boundary-layer flow behaviors. Furthermore, the boundary-layer flow stalled in the leading-edge bubble mode. Moreover, the vortex-shedding frequency behind the forward-swept wing shows that the vortexshedding frequency at low ?? exceeds that at high ??.     

Electrical resistance tomography coupled with differential pressure measurement to determine phase hold-ups in gas–liquid–solid outer loop bubble column

Radial variation of the gas hold-ups and mean hold-ups are investigated in a 90 mm outer loop bubble column using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) with two axial locations (Plane 1 and Plane 2). In all the experiments, air is used as the gas phase, tap water as liquid phase, and polypropylene particles as solid phase where the superficial gas velocity is varied from 0.02 to 0.25 m/s. The effect of operating conditions, solid concentration on mean hold-ups and radial gas hold-ups distribution is discussed. Gas hold-ups and solid hold-ups results using ERT are in very good agreement with conventional estimation and correlations obtained using pressure transmitter methods. Meanwhile, the results show that the gas hold-ups in the centre region increase constantly with an increase in the superficial gas velocity, namely there is a maximum hold-up at the centre of cross-section. But, solid hold-ups distribution is very homogeneous for high gas velocity. According to the visible image, the gas–liquid flow behaviours are obtained for gas–liquid–solid outer loop bubble column. Furthermore, the results also indicate that ERT is a very powerful tool for diagnosing the ‘inside’ flow behaviour of gas–liquid–solid three phase bubble column.     

Online monitoring of transit-time ultrasonic flowmeters based on fusion of optical observation

It is well-known that transit-time ultrasonic flowmeters (TTUF) are unsuitable for bubble-contained flows. This paper presents a new online monitoring method based on optical observation, which monitors the functionality of the TTUF in the presence of bubbles in the fluid. The method avoids the unnecessary Emergency Shutdowns (ESD) due to bubble presence in the fluid by bubble detection. The proposed method accomplishes bubble identification through a combination of image processing and wavelet analysis. In addition, a new method is proposed which estimates single bubble size in horizontal pipes using a data fusion approach.