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Published on: May 9, 2021
Motion of Long Levitating Drops in Tubes in an Anti-Bretherton Configuration
Peter Favreau1, Alexis Duchesne1, Farzam Zoueshtiagh1
1Université Lille, CNRS, Centrale Lille, ISEN, Université Valenciennes, IEMN UMR 8520, F-59000 Lille, France.
Abstract:
In his seminal paper, Bretherton studied the motion of long bubbles in capillary tubes. Here, we unveil the negative configuration wherein a long liquid drop is stably transported in a capillary tube and surrounded by a flow-induced air cushion. These drops are formed when a liquid plug is pushed above a critical velocity sufficient to induce an inversion of the front meniscus with a radius of curvature smaller than the tube radius. The drop shape and lubricating air film thickness is reminiscent of Bretherton's calculation and can be inferred from an adapted analytical theory.
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