The roles of individual force components on the capture mechanism of bubbles around a vortical flow

The mechanism of bubble capture in a vortical flow is investigated using a Lagrangian bubble tracking method. The motion of bubbles and the factors influencing their movement are examined. Detailed analysis is conducted on the roles played by each force component, such as the lift, added mass, and centrifugal forces, in the bubble capture process. An interesting finding is the identification of the stabilizing effect of the azimuthal lift force on the bubble capture mechanism. Furthermore, a model for capture time based on the radial force balance is also developed, and validated with existing experimental data. These findings, including the force mechanism and capture time model, provide a foundation for understanding the bubble capture process and can potentially inform future studies on tip vortex cavitation inception such as determining the cavitation hotspot. • Examined the role of each force component in the bubble capture event, especially the damping due to the lift force. • Provided a refined bubble capture time model improving on the original formulation by Oweis et al. (2005). • Successfully validated the capture bubble with experimental data.