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Handbook of Ultrasonics and Sonochemistry pp 69–98Cite as

The Growth of Bubbles in an Acoustic Field by Rectified Diffusion

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Abstract

Rectified diffusion is a bubble growth phenomenon that occurs in acoustic fields. When subjected to a sound field (i.e., an oscillating pressure wave), a bubble of a suitable size range undergoes expansion and compression. During this bubble oscillation, the pressure within the bubble decreases as it expands and increases as it compresses. Consequently, gas and/or vapor diffuses in and out of the bubble due to the differences in pressure between the interior and exterior of the bubble. Several effects contribute to an unequal diffusion in and out of the bubble. The “area effect” refers to the influence of surface area on the mass diffusion. More gas tends to enter the bubble during bubble expansion when the surface area is larger, than out during bubble compression when surface area is smaller. The “shell effect” refers to the thickness of the liquid-air mass transfer boundary. During compression, this boundary layer increases in thickness, and vice versa during expansion. This difference in boundary layer thickness again tends to promote more gas to enter the bubble during expansion than out during compression. In simple air-water systems, these two effects are the primary contributors to rectified diffusion growth. In more complex fluid systems, the presence of surface-active molecules at the air-water interface can alter the surface tension, surface viscoelasticity, and resistance to mass transfer and increase fluid streaming effects around the oscillating bubble. All these effects can result in further enhancement to the accumulation of gas and hence faster bubble growth with time. This chapter provides an overview of the rectified diffusion process, detailing the basic physics of the event in both simple and complex fluid systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Department of Mechanical and Product Design Engineering, Hawthorn, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, 3010, Australia

    Thomas Leong

  2. School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Thomas Leong & Muthupandian Ashokkumar

  3. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Thomas Leong & Sandra Kentish

Authors
  1. Thomas Leong
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  2. Muthupandian Ashokkumar
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  3. Sandra Kentish
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Correspondence to Thomas Leong .

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Leong, T., Ashokkumar, M., Kentish, S. (2016). The Growth of Bubbles in an Acoustic Field by Rectified Diffusion. In: Handbook of Ultrasonics and Sonochemistry. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-278-4_74

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