Bubble wake dynamics of a single bubble rising in the freeboard of a two-dimensional liquid-solid fluidized bed

The formation-shedding mechanism of wake induced by a single bubble rising in a two-dimensional column and a liquid-solid fluidized bed has been exper imentally studied. Under the illumination of laser sheet, the fluid mechani c behavior of wake is recorded by a high-frame-rate CCD camera moving at th e same speed as the bubble. A particle image analysis system accompanied wi th an interpolation process using the Kriging algorithm is exerted to quant ify the local microscopic flow properties. Through the topological characte ristics of the integrated streamline pattern, the formation-shedding mechan ism of bubble wake and the influence of solid phase are clearly illustrated . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.