WALL-TRIGGERED INTERFACIAL RESONANCE IN LAMINAR GAS-LIQUID FLOW

Laminar gas-liquid flow through a channel with corrugated bottom, driv en by a combination of gravity and pressure drop, is considered. A lin ear analysis, valid for small-amplitude disturbances but arbitrary wav elength and Re number, leads to Orr-Sommerfeld type equations with non homogeneous boundary conditions. The interface amplitude relative to t he wall is examined and linearly infinite amplification is computed at specific resonance conditions. With increasing gas velocity,the range of corrugation wavelengths most active in producing strong interactio n with the interface expands considerably, and moves to higher values. It is argued that the resonant phenomenon under consideration may inf luence the interfacial dynamics of gas-liquid flows in small-scale pas sages. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.