Lift coefficient of bubble sliding inside turbulent boundary layers in an inclinable channel flow

The behavior of bubbles traveling in the proximity of a tilted wall is studied experimentally to understand the fundamental sliding motion of bubbles inside turbulent boundary layers along an inclined wall. The qualitative visualization of sliding bubbles confirms the contribution of bubble buoyancy on the sliding motion for negative and positive inclinations of the channel. An opto-acoustic combined measurement technique is adopted to explore the sliding motion. Liquid velocity profiles in the bubbly flow and the distance between the wall and bottom of the bubble are obtained using the ultrasound pulsed Doppler method, while the bubble diameters and velocities are obtained from particle-tracking type image processing. The combined measurements reveal that the velocity of bubbles decreases under the negative slope condition and increases under the positive slope condition due to opposite buoyancy effects. In addition, the distance between the wall and bottom of the bubble increases with an increase in negative inclination. The lift coefficient is derived from the measured variables using a force–balance equation among the buoyancy, lift, and surface tension. Finally, we propose modeling equations for the lift coefficient expressed in terms of the Reynolds, Weber, and Bond numbers, which apply to the bubbles inside boundary layers.