DPI2014-59292-C3-3-P

  • Title: Generation of drops and bubbles: analyses of their collective dynamics in natural and engineering processes with industrial and environmental applications.
  • Reference: DPI2011-28356-C03-03
  • Funded by: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity)
  • Duration: 01/01/2015- 31/12/2017
  • Rest of the research team: Rocío Bolaños Jiménez y José Ignacio Jiménez González
  • Number of researchers: 7
  • Budget: 139.150,00 €
  • Summary: The present project emerges as a continuation of the coordinated one DPI2011-28356-C03, co-participated by the 3 applicant groups. Part of the new tasks emerge as natural extensions of others successfully completed in the previous initiative. Contrarily, other tasks are brand new and have been originated as a consequence of the different collaborations established, during the diffusion of the results of the previous project, with universities and some private companies. More specifically, in this project we propose to carry out a combined experimental, numerical and, in many cases, theoretical study of the following problems:
  1. Bubble and drop formation in geometries and conditions of industrial relevance: we will study the formation of bubbles in annular laminae and the influence of the dynamics of the contact line in gas-liquid injectors. Moreover, we will improve the microfluidic devices developed in the previous project to produce drops and bubbles with different coatings, which in turn will allow us to generate composed emulsions and microcapsules. Finally, we will approach the problem of the bursting of a bubble trapped at a liquid-gas interface in the presence of surfactants. This problem will be used as a convenient vehicle to understand fundamental aspects of the physics of surfactants. This is essential in order to reduce the costs of manufacturing echographic contrast agents and to quantify the size distribution of ocean sprays, a problem of great importance in climatology.

  2. Fragmentation mechanisms of drops impacting on solid surfaces. The theory derived previously to quantify the critical splash velocity (the minimum velocity at which the impacting drop is fragmented) will be tested with surfaces of different rugosities and wettabilities and modified, if necessary, to describe these experiments. Furthermore, we will study the size distribution of the fragments that constitute the spray generated upon drop fragmentation.

  3. Stability of the trajectory of rising bubbles and mass-transfer phenomena in CO2 bubbles. We will consider the stability of rising bubbles at moderate Reynolds numbers, with application to the case where they dissolve/growth as they rise. We will also consider the dissolution and growth, via rectified diffusion, of CO2 bubbles confined in microdevices and porous media. Finally, we will tackle the problem of the formation of CO2-bubbly plumes. These tasks cover problems of great industrial repercussion, while they also shed light on fundamental physical processes of high environmental impact. The capabilities acquired by the three teams through previous projects will be complemented with the expertise of world-class scientists of foreign institutions that will participate in this project.

  • Equipment financed by this project: 
  • Tensiometer
  • Syringe pump
  • Cold Lightning system 
  • Anti-vibration optical workstation

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