Numerical study of single bubble motion in liquid metal exposed to a longitudinal magnetic field

The paper presents numerical simulations modeling the ascent of an argon bubble in liquid metal with and without an external magnetic field. The governing equations for the fluid and the electric potential are discretized on a uniform Cartesian grid and the bubble is represented with a highly efficient immersed boundary method. The simulations performed were conducted matching experiments under the same conditions so that sound validation is possible. The three-dimensional trajectory of the bubble is analyzed quantitatively and related to the flow structures in the wake. Indeed, the substantial impact of the magnetic field in the bubble trajectory results from its influence on the wake. Quantitative data describing the selective damping of vortex structures are provided and discussed. As a result of applying a longitudinal field, the time-averaged bubble rise velocity increases for large bubbles, it reaches a maximum and then decreases when further increasing the magnetic interaction parameter. For small bubbles, the time-averaged bubble rise velocity decreases when increasing the magnetic field. The bubble Strouhal number as a dimensionless frequency is reduced with the application of a magnetic field for all bubbles considered and the zig-zag trajectory of the bubble becomes more rectilinear. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.