Abstract:The bubble growth and detachment behavior in the bottom blowing process were investigated. Four multi-hole nozzle configurations with different opening ratios were assessed experimentally using high-speed photography and digital image processing. For these configurations, the experiments reveal that the bubble growth consists of a petal-like stage, an expansion stage and a detachment stage. The petal-like shape is qualitatively described through the captured images, while the non-spherical bubbles are analyzed by the aspect ratio. The bubble size at the detachment is quantified by the maximum caliper distance and the bubble equivalent diameter. Considering the dependence on the opening ratio, different prediction models for the ratio of maximum caliper distance to hydraulic diameter of the nozzle outlet and the dimensionless bubble diameter are established. The comparative analysis results show that the proposed prediction model can accurately predict the bubble detachment size under the condition of multi-hole nozzles.

Key words: bottom blowing; bubble growth; nozzle geometry; non-spherical bubble