Research of bubble motion and correction of drag coefficient in viscous oil at low Reynolds number

Abstract

As the core fundamental components in the field of fluid transmission and control, viscous oil fluid components determine the technological level of fluid machinery and high-end equipment. However, bubbles as effective cavitation nuclei widely exist in the interior of viscous oil fluid components, directly affecting their performance and technological development. In order to reveal the bubble motion characteristics in viscous oil and establish a high-precision prediction method, this paper focuses on No. 110 technical white oil and develops a visualized observation system for studying the motion characteristics and morphological features of bubbles in viscous oil. The bubble motion trajectory, rising rate, and force state are analyzed, and a prediction model for the drag coefficient is proposed and corrected. The research results indicate that during the rising process, the bubble morphologies in viscous oil show an elliptical shape. The oil temperature has a significant influence on the bubble motion characteristics, with the occurrence of oscillations during the rise process after reaching 80 °C. Additionally, a new prediction model for the drag coefficient of bubble is fitted, where the relative error of bubble motion rate can be controlled within 5.5% for 0.3 < Re < 50. This research provides significant theoretical significance and engineering application value.