- Title Information
- Title
- Bubble Dynamics and Coalescence: bubble-droplet filtration and microgravity bubble emulsions
- Type of Resource (primo)
- dissertations
- Name:
Personal
- Name Part
- Federle, Madeline Elizabeth
- Role
- Role Term:
Text
- creator
- Name:
Personal
- Name Part
- Zenit, Roberto
- Role
- Role Term:
Text
- Advisor
- Name:
Personal
- Name Part
- Rodriguez, Mauro
- Role
- Role Term:
Text
- Reader
- Name:
Personal
- Name Part
- Legendre, Dominque
- Role
- Role Term:
Text
- Reader
- Name:
Personal
- Name Part
- Milliken, Ralph
- Role
- Role Term:
Text
- Reader
- Name:
Corporate
- Name Part
- Brown University. Engineering: Fluids and Thermal Sciences
- Role
- Role Term:
Text
- sponsor
- Origin Information
- Copyright Date
- 2026
- Physical Description
- Extent
- xxv, 167 p.
- digitalOrigin
- born digital
- Note:
thesis
- Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2026
- Genre (aat)
- theses
- Abstract
- Multiphase flows, systems in which more than one phase is present, are inherently complex yet ubiquitous across a wide range of industrial and natural phenomena. A subset of multiphase flows, bubbly flows, serve as the central focus of this dissertation. Despite their apparent simplicity, bubbly flows support critical technologies ranging from industrial fluid filtration to liquid propellant management in space. This dissertation aims to explore the fundamental physics governing bubbly flows and extend this understanding to microgravity environments.
The first area of investigation examines bubbly flows as a method of fluid filtration. Specifically, the process of aeration, in which bubbles capture and transport impurities toward the fluid surface, was studied as a mechanism for separating oil droplets from produced water, a byproduct of oil extraction. Contrary to classical assumptions, experimental results demonstrated that coalescence via flotation is unlikely. Instead, a velocity enhancement of the oil droplet, driven by the bubble's surrounding flow field, was both experimentally observed and theoretically modeled. A mathematical framework was developed to quantify this hydrodynamic interaction and identify the governing parameters that dictate the conditions under which this velocity enhancement occurs.
Building on this foundation, the work was extended to study bubbly flows in reduced gravity environments. These experiments were conducted using an in-house designed homogeneous isotropic turbulence chamber, with microgravity conditions achieved through NASA drop tower facilities and Zero-G parabolic flight campaigns. The primary objectives of this work were to quantify bubble breakup, size distributions, and bubble dispersion under varying turbulent conditions in microgravity. Additionally, the speed of sound through the bubbly liquid was measured. It was found that bubble size distributions in microgravity differ significantly from those observed under Earth's gravity, and a critical bubble diameter was established as a function of turbulence intensity. Furthermore, the reduction in speed of sound through a bubbly liquid relative to the continuous phase was experimentally verified.
- Subject (fast)
(authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00910312")
- Topic
- Engineering
- Subject (fast)
(authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00927999")
- Topic
- Fluid mechanics
- Subject (fast)
(authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/00839948")
- Topic
- Bubbles
- Subject
- Topic
- Experimental fluid mechanics
- Subject (fast)
(authorityURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast", valueURI="http://id.worldcat.org/fast/01092280")
- Topic
- Reduced gravity environments
- Subject
- Topic
- two-phase flows
- Language
- Language Term (ISO639-2B)
- English
- Record Information
- Record Content Source (marcorg)
- RPB
- Record Creation Date
(encoding="iso8601")
- 20260516