This project uses powerful supercomputers to simulate how bubbles—and soap-like additives that change their behavior—move and mix in fast, churning flows, yielding insights that can make reactors, heat exchangers, and cooling systems safer and more energy-efficient.
This computational fluid dynamics study investigates dense bubble-laden, high-Reynolds number turbulent flows with surfactants, relevant to sustainable energy and industrial applications like heat exchangers, nuclear reactors, electronics cooling, and petroleum processing. Surfactants notably impact bubble coalescence, breakup, and flow modulation, enhancing heat and mass transfer at interfaces. However, understanding bubble-turbulence interactions—especially under surfactant effects and near walls with shear—remains limited due to computational challenges and gaps in subgrid models. The project aims to advance this field through large-scale simulations, leveraging low-dissipation numerics and GPU-based supercomputing to study bubbly flows in decaying isotropic turbulence and in turbulent duct flows, with and without surfactants. Parameter sweeps will vary gas void fraction, Reynolds number, and surfactant concentration to assess effects on bubble behavior, turbulence, and engineering metrics like skin friction and foam stability.
This research has broad-reaching implications for various industries, including energy, chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, and in electronics thermal management. Studying bubbles in turbulent flows has transformative implications for the Department of Energy (DOE) and its commitment to advancing energy efficiency, sustainability, and safety. Understanding the behavior of bubbles in turbulent regimes enhances our ability to design and optimize energy systems where efficient heat and mass transfer are critical, such as nuclear reactors, advanced cooling systems, and renewable biofuel production facilities. Turbulent bubbly flows are also integral to improving the efficiency of fuel cells, gas pipelines, and large- scale reactors, where they enhance reaction rates and reduce drag, leading to significant energy savings and cost reductions. Furthermore, insights into bubble dynamics in turbulence help address challenges related to flow-induced vibrations and pressure fluctuations, which are key to maintaining the structural integrity and operational safety of pipelines and reactors.