Inertial and buoyancy effects on horizontal flow of elongated bubbles in circular channels

The effects of gravity and inertia on the liquid film thickness surrounding elongated bubble flow in a horizontal tube of circularcross-section are studied through numerical simulations. At low Reynolds and Bond numbers, the inertial and buoyancy effectsare negligible and the liquid film thickness at the tube wall is a function of the Capillary number only; if tube diameter isincreased to the millimetre scale, however, buoyancy forces become significant. Simulations are performed with OpenFOAM(version 1606) and the built in Volume-of-Fluid method for a range of Reynolds, Bond and Capillary numbers, namelyRe= 1−1000,Bo= 0.05−0.42andCa= 0.02−0.09respectively. Two-dimensional simulations capture asymmetry ofthe liquid film thickness due to gravitational effects, but do not capture bubble inclination relative to the channel centreline,as has been demonstrated experimentally in the literature. Three-dimensional simulations capture the transverse flow of thefilm as it drains from the top to the bottom of the tube, and are thus able to demonstrate bubble inclination. Further simulationsthat introduce phase change to the elongated bubble model are underway, aiming to investigate boiling flows, with experimentsbeing performed for comparison and validation