Computational modeling of air bubble oscillations in a cavitation-induced acoustic field using multi-phase multicomponent model*

Recent experiments have shown that a mm-sized air bubble undergoes nonlinear shape oscillations when subjected to an acoustic field produced by the collapse of a nearby vapor bubble. To better understand this phenomenon, we leverage a diffuse interface two-phase, two-component compressible flow model. The model is based on a multiphase extension of the Euler equations that accounts also for surface tension, and heat conduction. We perform high-fidelity numerical simulations in cylindrical coordinates. Our simulations agree well with experiments and show that surface tension and heat conduction play an important role in the coordinated oscillations of the two bubbles. Our results are important for cavitation applications where air entrainment is significant.