The pressure increase attributed to the energy deposition in the liquid metal target of the Spallation Neutron Source results in cavitation and pitting erosion of the target pressure boundary. Introducing compressibility in the form of small gas bubbles will extend the lifetime of the target vessel. The pressure rise caused by the beam energy deposition occurs in one microsecond, which encourages use of bubbles of radius less than 20 microns, such that the bubble response to pressure change is adequately fast. Gas volume fraction near 0.5% is sufficient to accommodate the mercury volumetric expansion and reduce the pressure rise. Bubble production and detection technologies are developed herein to allow control of the bubble diameter and volume fraction in an opaque liquid metal. This research infers bubble size in the form of a probability density function using dynamic gas delivery pressure and mass flow, and passive acoustic emissions at bubble birth, for a single orifice bubbler. Terminal rise velocities are also measured and used to infer bubble diameter. The gas volume fraction is inferred from the acoustic sound speed using the so-called low frequency Wood’s Limit model for sound speed in a bubbly media.

The pressure increase attributed to the energy deposition in the liquid metal target of the Spallation Neutron Source results in cavitation and pitting erosion of the target pressure boundary. Introducing compressibility in the form of small gas bubbles will extend the lifetime of the target vessel. The pressure rise caused by the beam energy deposition occurs in one microsecond, which encourages use of bubbles of radius less than 20 microns, such that the bubble response to pressure change is adequately fast. Gas volume fraction near 0.5% is sufficient to accommodate the mercury volumetric expansion and reduce the pressure rise. Bubble production and detection technologies are developed herein to allow control of the bubble diameter and volume fraction in an opaque liquid metal. This research infers bubble size in the form of a probability density function using dynamic gas delivery pressure and mass flow, and passive acoustic emissions at bubble birth, for a single orifice bubbler. Terminal rise velocities are also measured and used to infer bubble diameter. The gas volume fraction is inferred from the acoustic sound speed using the so-called low frequency Wood’s Limit model for sound speed in a bubbly media.

Les colonnes à bulles sont utilisées en minéralurgie et en traitement des eaux pour capturer différents types de particules. Leur capacité d’échange bénéficie aujourd’hui d’un regain d’intérêt pour assurer la production de micro-algues destinées à un usage médicinal, alimentaire, ou énergétique : les concentrations d’oxygène et de dioxyde de carbone peuvent être contrôlées grâce à la considérable aire interfaciale gaz-liquide dans la colonne à bulles. Une étude expérimentale en boucle fermée a été menée pour simuler le passage du gaz dans une succession de colonnes en série. Le modèle théorique associé confirme le rôle critique du diamètre des bulles lors du transfert de masse. Un générateur de micro-bulles (MBG) innovant a été conçu et testé. Le prototype est capable de produire des micro-bulles d’un diamètre moyen Dbubble = 0.252 mm. L’invention a été officiellement déclarée. Le dernier chapitre a pour objet l’amélioration des méthodes de traitement de Fluorescence Induite par Plan Laser (PLIF), qui permettent d’obtenir les coefficients de transfert de masse kl. La première correction présentée prend en compte les variations de l’extinction de la fluorescence due au pH pendant la calibration et a été évaluée sur une mesure de concentration de CO2 dans le sillage d’une bulle en ascension libre dans une colonne d’eau. La seconde correction proposée doit être appliquée quand la distance de la région de mesure où les variations de pH sont observées augmente. La nécessité de cette correction a été illustrée par un cas test dans le sillage d’un nuage de bulles en ascension libre dans une colonne d’eau / Bubble column are involved in many industrial fields ranging from chemical industry to mineral processing. It recently became an industrial stake for the production of micro-algae intended for medicinal use, food or energy: the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations can be controlled via the efficient mass transfer induced by the significant gas-liquid interfaciale area into the bubble column. Firstly, experimental closed-loop study has been carried out to simulate the passage of gas in a succession of columns in series. The associated theoretical model confirms the critical importance of the bubble diameter for mass transfer.Therefore, an innovative Micro-Bubble Generator (MBG) has been designed and tested. The prototype is able to produce micro-bubbles of average diameter Dbubble = 0.252 mm. The invention has been officially declared. The last chapter aims at improving data treatment methods for Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF), which enables to obtain experimentally mass transfer coefficient kl through concentration measurements. The first presented correction takes into account variations of the fluorescence extinction due to pH during the calibration step, and has been evaluated on CO2 concentration measurement in the wake of a free rising bubble. The second proposed correction should be applied when the length in the measurement region over which pH variations are observed increases: variations of the extinction coefficient will affect the local incident light intensity and therefore the measurements. The need for this correction has been illustrated on a test case in the wake of a cloud of free rising bubbles