Dynamical Interactions in a Multi-Bubble Cloud

Results of studies on the dynamics of “clouds” of bubbles via both an analytical technique using asymptotic expansions, and via numerical simulation using a three-dimensional boundary element technique (BEM) are reported. The asymptotic method relies on the assumption that the characteristic bubble size is much smaller than the characteristic inter-bubble distance. Results obtained from the two methods are compared, and are found to agree in the domain of validity of the asymptotic technique, which is for very low void fractions. Next, results of several numerical experiments conducted using the BEM algorithm are reported. The results indicate the influence of the mutual interaction on the dynamics of multiple bubble clouds.