Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach

Venturi nozzles, valued for their simple design and flexibility, are widely used to generate microbubbles (MB) via hydrodynamic cavitation, particularly in water treatment and agriculture. MB efficiency depends on bubble size, which is influenced by the Venturi geometry and flow parameters, such as...

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Main Authors: Nadumaran, N., Erny Afiza, Alias, M. H., Hamidi, Nasrul Hadi, Johari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty Mechanical Engineering, UMP 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/
http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/1/Effect%20of%20divergent%20angle%20and%20water%20flowrate%20on%20mean%20bubble%20size%20in%20venturi-type%20generator.pdf
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author Nadumaran, N.
Erny Afiza, Alias
M. H., Hamidi
Nasrul Hadi, Johari
author_facet Nadumaran, N.
Erny Afiza, Alias
M. H., Hamidi
Nasrul Hadi, Johari
author_sort Nadumaran, N.
building UMP Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Venturi nozzles, valued for their simple design and flexibility, are widely used to generate microbubbles (MB) via hydrodynamic cavitation, particularly in water treatment and agriculture. MB efficiency depends on bubble size, which is influenced by the Venturi geometry and flow parameters, such as divergent angle and water flow rate. However, the relationship between these factors and bubble size remains underexplored, especially through combined experimental and simulation approaches. This study addresses that gap by combining experimental visualization and computational fluid dynamics to assess the impact of divergent angle and water flow rate on MB generation. Three Venturi nozzles with divergent angles of 8°, 10°, and 12°, and flow rates of 13 L/min, 33 L/min, and 66 L/min were tested. Bubble size was measured using high-speed imaging and analyzed in MATLAB. Simulations were performed using ANSYS FLUENT with a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian model and a Population Balance Model, enabling the detailed prediction of bubble size. Experimental and simulation results showed a relative error of less than 5%, confirming the reliability of simulations. Increasing the divergent angle and flow rate decreased the MB distribution, yielding smaller bubbles. The Venturi 3 (12° divergent angle) produced the smallest bubbles, measured experimentally at 519 µm and in simulations at 505 µm, at a flow rate of 66 L/min. The strong agreement between experimental and simulation results, with a maximum error of 4%, was supported by velocity profile analysis, which revealed the highest velocity (14.09 m/s) in Venturi 3, resulting in the formation of the smallest bubbles. These findings not only validate the effectiveness of the simulations in predicting bubble size but also offer valuable insights for optimising venturi designs.
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spelling ump-451272025-07-21T03:56:31Z http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/ Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach Nadumaran, N. Erny Afiza, Alias M. H., Hamidi Nasrul Hadi, Johari TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery Venturi nozzles, valued for their simple design and flexibility, are widely used to generate microbubbles (MB) via hydrodynamic cavitation, particularly in water treatment and agriculture. MB efficiency depends on bubble size, which is influenced by the Venturi geometry and flow parameters, such as divergent angle and water flow rate. However, the relationship between these factors and bubble size remains underexplored, especially through combined experimental and simulation approaches. This study addresses that gap by combining experimental visualization and computational fluid dynamics to assess the impact of divergent angle and water flow rate on MB generation. Three Venturi nozzles with divergent angles of 8°, 10°, and 12°, and flow rates of 13 L/min, 33 L/min, and 66 L/min were tested. Bubble size was measured using high-speed imaging and analyzed in MATLAB. Simulations were performed using ANSYS FLUENT with a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian model and a Population Balance Model, enabling the detailed prediction of bubble size. Experimental and simulation results showed a relative error of less than 5%, confirming the reliability of simulations. Increasing the divergent angle and flow rate decreased the MB distribution, yielding smaller bubbles. The Venturi 3 (12° divergent angle) produced the smallest bubbles, measured experimentally at 519 µm and in simulations at 505 µm, at a flow rate of 66 L/min. The strong agreement between experimental and simulation results, with a maximum error of 4%, was supported by velocity profile analysis, which revealed the highest velocity (14.09 m/s) in Venturi 3, resulting in the formation of the smallest bubbles. These findings not only validate the effectiveness of the simulations in predicting bubble size but also offer valuable insights for optimising venturi designs. Faculty Mechanical Engineering, UMP 2025-06-30 Article PeerReviewed pdf en cc_by_nc_4 http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/1/Effect%20of%20divergent%20angle%20and%20water%20flowrate%20on%20mean%20bubble%20size%20in%20venturi-type%20generator.pdf Nadumaran, N. and Erny Afiza, Alias and M. H., Hamidi and Nasrul Hadi, Johari (2025) Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach. Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Sciences (JMES), 19 (2). 10667 -10675. ISSN 2289-4659 (print); 2231-8380 (online). (Published) https://doi.org/10.15282/jmes.19.2.2025.8.0836 https://doi.org/10.15282/jmes.19.2.2025.8.0836
spellingShingle TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
Nadumaran, N.
Erny Afiza, Alias
M. H., Hamidi
Nasrul Hadi, Johari
Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach
title Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach
title_full Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach
title_fullStr Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach
title_full_unstemmed Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach
title_short Effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: An experimental and computational approach
title_sort effect of divergent angle and water flowrate on mean bubble size in venturi-type generator: an experimental and computational approach
topic TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
url http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/
http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/
http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/
http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/45127/1/Effect%20of%20divergent%20angle%20and%20water%20flowrate%20on%20mean%20bubble%20size%20in%20venturi-type%20generator.pdf