Simulation of the influence of electromagnetic fields on the drainage in wet metal foam

S. Heitkam^1,2 - S. Schwarz¹ - J. Fröhlich¹

¹ Institut für Strömungsmechanik, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
² Université Paris Sud, Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (UMR 8502), 91405 Orsay, France

Abstract
The paper reports on numerical simulations of stationary drainage through agglomerated bubbles under the influence of a horizontal magnetic field. A linear relation between the pressure drop and the drainage flow is found, while the influence of the magnetic field on the pressure drop is quadratic. At low pressure drops the bubbles agglomerate in tightly packed clusters. Crystalline arrangement has been observed between 10 and 30 percent. Higher drainage rate and higher magnetic fields both make the bubbles oscillate around their position in the packing and thus decrease the gas fraction. Tables 1, Figs 7, Refs 18.