Experiments on bubble plumes in a rotating environment

We conducted small-scale experiments in the laboratory to investigate the effects of a rotating environment on the dynamics of multiphase plumes. Bubble plumes, produced using electrolysis, were released into the saline rotating environment. We studied how the rotation rate, the source buoyancy flux and the slip velocity of bubbles affect the plume characteristics such as its rise velocity and the temporal evolution of its width. Of particular interest is the question how the rotation rate modifies the area on the water surface which is affected by the plume after its rise through the water column. This can be, for example, important for modelling the spreading of the oil on the ocean surface after an accidental oil spillage such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster. In the near-source region, multiphase plumes also exhibit anticyclonic precession of the plume axis, similar to single-phase plumes. In this talk, we present our experimental results and develop simple theoretical models to explain the observed plume behaviour.