On the transition stage of bubble formation on the orifice of a submerged vertical nozzle

The transition stage (self-accelerating necking process) generally takes place before a bubble collapses. However, the mechanism is still not well understood. In this article, seven existing experiments dealing with bubble formation on the orifice of a submerged vertical nozzle are examined by solving the Young–Laplace equation. Multiple solution modes are found. Bubble in solution mode 2 has a neck and thus taller than mode 1 at the same volume. The present numerical result along with an experiment from Longuet-Higgins et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 230, 365–390 (1991)] evidences an isometric transition from solution modes 1 to 2. This might account for the self-accelerating necking process before a bubble collapses. Surprisingly, all of the seven existing experiments agree excellently with the bubble shapes from the Young–Laplace equation without the dynamic effect even when the bubble growth rate in the experiment is 2.25 times as large as the critical value. The gas flow rate (the dynamic effect) seems to play a role only after the transition stage. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering