The free rise of isolated, deformable, finite-size bubbles in otherwise homogeneous isotropic turbulence is investigated by direct numerical simulation. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved in both phases subject to the pertinent velocity and stress conditions at the deformable gas-liquid interface. The bubble rise velocity is found to be drastically reduced by turbulence, as is widely known for microbubbles. The probability distribution functions of the horizontal bubble acceleration component are well fitted by a log-normal distribution. The distributions of the vertical components are negatively skewed, a property related to the fact that bubbles experience on average stronger decelerations than accelerations. An assessment of the correlations of bubble acceleration with properties of the surrounding flow is used to define estimates of the liquid velocity and vorticity entering in liquid acceleration and lift forces. Finally, fast rising bubbles are found to preferentially sample downflow regions of the flow, whereas those subjected to a higher turbulence level have an increased residence time in swirling regions, some features similar to those of small bubbles.

• Received 18 July 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.2.014606