Volume-of-fluid simulations of bubble dynamics in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell

Bubbles in confined geometries serve an important role for industrial operations involving bubble-liquid interactions. However, high Reynolds number bubble dynamics in confined flows are still not well understood due to experimental challenges. In the present paper, combined experimental and numerical methods are used to provide a comprehensive insight into these dynamics. The bubble behaviour in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell is investigated experimentally with a fully wetting liquid for a variety of gap thicknesses. A numerical model is developed using the volume of fluid method coupled with a continuum surface force model and a wall friction model. The developed model successfully simulates the dynamics of a bubble under the present experimental conditions and shows good agreement between experimental and simulation results. It is found that with an increased spacing between the cell walls, the bubble shape changes from oblate ellipsoid and spherical-cap to more complicated shapes, while the bubble path changes from only rectilinear to a combination of oscillating and rectilinear; the bubble drag coefficient decreases and this results in a higher bubble velocity caused by a lower pressure exerted on the bubble; the wake boundary and wake length evolve gradually accompanied by vortex formation and shedding.