Abstract
We report a series of experimental study on the flow behavior of a buoyant jet in a non-Newtonian fluid with gel beads. A viscous fluid is supplied from a nozzle at a constant volume flux in the gel beads layer. The hydrogel beads are deformable and the volume fraction of the interstitial fluids is about 15%. In our experiments, we identify at least three types of fluid flow: homogeneous permeable flow, pulsating flow, and localized continuous flow. The flow behavior depends on the injection flow rate, the rheological properties of the mixture, and the volume fraction of the interstitial fluid. Our experimental model explains the origin of the intermittent nature of multiphase flow observed in food industries and magma transport in nature.
