Analysis of Flow Structure of Marangoni Convection around a Micro Bubble Attached to the Channel Wall

Abstract

In this study, the flow structure of Marangoni convection generated around a micro-bubble attached to the channel wall by locally heating the wall near the bubble is investigated using numerical method. An axisymmetric vortex flow was generated when the heating area was located at the center of the bubble. On the other hand, when the heating area deviated from the center, a pair of vortices was formed in adjacent to the bubble which matched with the experimental results qualitatively. Further, the effects of the distance between the heating area and the bubble, and the size of the area on the flow structure were evaluated. The results showed that as the heating area size decreases and its position is located closer to the bubble, stronger vortices can be generated.