Condensation of an accelerating-decelerating bubble: Experimental and phenomenological analysis

An experimental and theoretical phenomenological study of accelerating- decelerating bubbles, condensing in an immiscible liquid, was conducted. The system consisted of a column of water, and bubbles offreon-113, 4-5 × 10^-3 m in diameter. Shadowgraphing of the process has illustrated the wake formation behind the bubble, wake shedding, forward movement of vortices, and envelopment of the decelerating bubble in its wake. The bubble size, shape, and path were videotaped and analyzed for the collapse rate, and the instantaneous position. The visualized hydrodynamic phenomena provided a phenomenological basis for the theoretical formulations. The theoretical model postulated an eccentrically positioned vapor sphere in the collapsing bubble, a boundary layer and wake over the accelerating bubble, and a concentric vorticular envelope around the decelerating bubble. The theoretical-phenomenological predictions compared well with experiment.