"Swirling multiphase flows are found in a wide range of industrial processes. Such flows are used for separation of flows containing phases of different densities and for devices such as the spinning tensiometer. These flows are challenging to predict computationally, due to the presence of a phase boundary and the large pressure gradient generated by the swirl. In the present work the applicability of the front tracking method to swirling multi-phase flows is demonstrated by studying the evolution of a bubble in spinning tensiometer. Previous studies show that the evolution of a bubble in the spinning drop tensiometer can be used to measure the interfacial tension and other rheological properties. The front tracking method is applied to the spinning tensiometer problem to study several cases and verify the convergence of the solutions. The results are validated with other computational methods, theoretical models and experimental results. The length scales obtained from the front tracking method are in agreement with the corresponding values from experiments and other computational studies. The shape of the end of the elongated bubble obtained from the simulations is found to be similar to that suggested by a theoretical expression from previous studies. The simulations predict that the relaxation of bubble radius is exponential with time, at a rate that is found to be slightly greater than that predicted by the theoretical model."

[pt] As propriedades reológicas na interface ar/água de modelos de surfactantes pulmonares (DPPC, DPPC:DPPG, DPPC:DPPG:Colesterol, Survanta e Curosurf) foram investigadas utilizando técnicas de cisalhamento superficiais (reometria de cisalhamento interfacial) e dilatacionais (tensiometria da gota pendente). Assim, alguns parâmetros de interesse foram obtidos para o estudo da viscoelasticidade das amostras (como viscosidade e módulos de armazenamento e perda) e as limitações das técnicas também foram analisadas. Os experimentos foram realizados de forma dinâmica, em que a faixa de frequência de interesse abrange, inclusive, a frequência respiratória de um atleta. Os resultados obtidos mostram a maior viscosidade do Survanta, frente ao Curosurf, e mostram o caráter intermediário do DPPC, que pode ser alterado pela adição de DPPG (aumentando a elasticidade) e Colesterol (aumentando a viscosidade), sugerindo que a mistura DPPC:DPPG pode ser mais adequada do que com DPPC:DPPG:COL para simular o comportamento do surfactante pulmonar. A reometria dilatacional não se mostrou aplicável ao estudo dos surfactantes, o que pode ser causado pela alta viscoelasticidade e relativa instabilidade do Survanta. / [en] The interfacial rheological properties of lung surfactants models (DPPC, DPPC:DPPG, DPPC:DPPG:Cholesterol, Survanta and Curosurf) at the air/water interface were investigated using shear (interfacial shear rheometry) and dilatacional (pendent drop tensiometry) techniques. Thus, some parameters of interest were obtained to study the viscoelasticity of the samples (such as viscosity and storage and loss modules) and the limitations of the techniques were also analyzed. The experiments were carried out dynamically, in which the interest frequency range includes the respiratory rate of an athlete. The results obtained show the higher viscosity of Survanta, compared to Curosurf, and show the intermediate character of DPPC, which can be altered by addition of DPPG (increasing the elasticity) and Cholesterol (increasing the viscosity), suggesting the DPPC:DPPG mixture may be more suitable than with DPPC:DPPG:CHOL to simulate the lung surfactant behavior. The dilatacional rheometry does not shown to be applicable for surfactants studies, which can be caused by the high viscoelasticity and relative instability of Survanta.