Simulation of swirling bubbly water using bubble particles

Abstract

The effect of surface tension is dynamically and realistically represented within a multiphase fluid simulation. Air bubbles are seeded with 'bubble particles' which move randomly. These molecule-like movements modify the surface of the air bubbles and generate turbulence in the water. The surface tension between air bubble and water, determined by the composition of the water, remains constant regardless of the size of the bubble, while external forces cause unstable fluid motion as the surface tension strives to remain constant, bubbles split and merge. The bubble particles can also compute for the numerical dissipation usually experienced in grid-based fluid simulations, by restoring the lost volume of individual bubbles. The realistic tearing of bubble surfaces is shown in a range of examples.