BEM simulations of potential flow with viscous effects as applied to a rising bubble

A model for the unsteady rise and deformation of non-oscillating bubbles under buoyancy force at high Reynolds numbers has been implemented using a boundary element method. Results such as the evolution of the bubble shape, variations of the transient velocity with rise height and the terminal velocity for different size bubbles have been compared to recent experimental data in clean water and to numerical solutions of the unsteady Navier–Stokes equation. The aim is to capture the essential physical ingredients that couple bubble deformation and the transient approach towards terminal velocity. This model requires very modest computational resources and yet has the flexibility to be extended to more general applications.