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Two-stage dispersion mechanism of clean spherical bubbles rising in a chain

Satoi Suzuki and Toshiyuki Sanada*

  • *Contact author: sanada.toshiyuki@shizuoka.ac.jp
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 073604 – Published 29 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6rn3-tp8q

Abstract

Wake-induced lift is a key mechanism governing the initial destabilization of bubbles rising in a chain [Atasi et al., Phys. Rev. Fluids 8, 053601 (2023)]. Moore's wake model predicts limited interfacial vorticity and a relatively slender, spatially confined wake for clean spherical bubbles, suggesting that wake-mediated interactions weaken as the interbubble spacing increases. However, we observed pronounced large-scale lateral dispersion and strong bubble frequency dependence in controlled experiments where bubble diameter and generation frequency were independently varied, even when the interbubble separation exceed the characteristic wake length. A reduced-order model incorporating pairwise wake-induced interactions captured the onset of bubble chain destabilization but systematically underpredicted the subsequent emergence of large-scale dispersion. We demonstrate that bubbles rising in a chain collectively generate a mean upward liquid flow that modifies the local shear field, enhancing the lateral migration through shear-induced lift. Incorporating this self-induced weak flow into the model quantitatively reproduced both the dispersion magnitude and its frequency dependence. These results suggest that the dispersion of bubbles rising in a chain involves a two-stage mechanism, with initial chain destabilization mediated by wake interactions, followed by flow modification arising from two-way coupling between bubbles and the liquid. This collective mechanism highlights the importance of self-induced mean flow effects in continuum descriptions of bubble flows.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 073604– Published 29 July, 2026
  • Received 18 March 2026
  • Accepted 7 July 2026
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