Microbubble Generation in a Confined Radial Jet

Microbubbles generated from the expansion of water supersaturated with dissolved air through a confined radial jet are investigated. Cavitation occurrence in the small-scale turbulent structures combined with gaseous diffusion promotes the formation of microbubbles. The effects of varying geometry, cavitation number and dissolved gas level are investigated to examine the cavitation physics and flow regimes resulting. The base of the radial jet is glass, enabling optical access for photographing the cavitation and microbubbles produced. The instantaneous extent of the main cavity volume is investigated using still photography. This is a preparatory study for later measurements of bubble production rate and size spectra