Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

The dynamics of a sub-millimeter air bubble rising at a bubble Reynolds number of about 100 in water in an inclined, laminar channel flow is investigated experimentally. In this configuration which is relevant in modern separation technologies for valuable particles, the bubble is undergoing a cross-stream motion, as the buoyancy force is not aligned with the undisturbed liquid flow. From measurements of bubble velocities and trajectories we estimate the drag and lift forces on the bubble at two different channel Reynolds numbers. The results are compared with their streamwise counterparts, i.e. in the configuration where the bubble rises largely along a streamline of the undisturbed liquid flow. For the lower channel Reynolds number, the cross-stream effects are only small. For the larger channel Reynolds number however, the drag coefficient is found to be notably larger than its streamwise counterpart. The lift coefficient may be either larger or smaller than its streamwise counterpart depending on the detailed local flow conditions. In particular, its value is non-zero when the bubble crosses the channel centerline where the shear rate is zero. These deviations are found to be closely connected with the bending of the bubble wake as well as the finite value of the angle formed between the bubble slip velocity and the velocity of the liquid flow.