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Abstract

A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique for visualizing gas–liquid mass transfer and wake structure of rising gas bubbles is described. The method uses an aqueous solution of the pH-sensitive dye Naphthofluorescein and CO2 as a tracer gas. It features a high spatial resolution and frame rates of up to 500 Hz, providing the ability to capture cinematographic image sequences. By steering the laser beam with a set of two programmable scanning mirrors, sequences of three-dimensional LIF images can be recorded. The technique is applied to freely rising bubbles with diameters between 0.5 and 5 mm, which perform rectilinear, oscillatory or irregular motions. The resulting PLIF image sequences reveal the evolution of characteristic patterns in the near and far wake of the bubbles and prove the potential of the technique to provide new and detailed insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of mass transfer of rising gas bubbles. The image sequences further allow the estimation of bubble size and rise velocity. The analysis of bubble rise velocities in the Naphthofluorescein solution indicates that surfactant-contaminated conditions are encountered.