Micro-bubbles seeding for flow characterization

Abstract

Micro-bubbles injection has long been used in hydrodynamic facilities for the control of dissolved and free air. In some cavitation tunnels [9], very large quantities of microbubbles (billions per second) are injected for rapid degassing and, in smaller quantities (millions per second), for cavitation nuclei seeding. Micro-bubbles can also be used as tracers for optical measurements including visualization, LDV or PIV. For these applications, bubbles must be sufficiently small to faithfully follow the flow. Depending on the quality and spatial characteristics of the micro-bubbles seeding, several optical methods can be applied: simple visualization gives access to semi-quantitative information on the behaviour of flows; LASER velocimetry provides information on the mean velocity and other temporal local characteristics of the flow. This paper presents some new micro-bubbles seeding devices recently developed by YLEC Consultants. These devices have been designed to fulfill specific requirements related to integration into cavitation tunnels and permit optical velocimetry measurement techniques such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The LEGI cavitation tunnel is the first tunnel which has been equipped with these microbubbles seeding systems dedicated to optical velocimetry. This paper presents the final integration schemes selected for micro-bubbles seeding into LEGI tunnel and discuss about practical concerns related to the use of the injection system for optical velocimetry.