On the measurement of bubble size distribution in gas–liquid contactors via light sheet and image analysis

Particle image velocimetry techniques coupled with advanced image processing tools are receiving an increasing interest for measuring flow quantities and local bubble-size distributions in gas–liquid mechanically agitated vessels. When trying to analyze image information the problem arises that bubble sizes are generally underestimated, due to the fact that the laser sheet used for lighting the system randomly cuts bubbles over non-diametrical planes, leading to an apparent bubble size distribution even in the ideal case of single sized bubbles. Clearly in the case of bubbles with a size distribution the experimental information obtained is affected by the superposition of effects. Aim of this work is that of providing a numerical procedure able to reconstruct actual bubble size distributions from relevant apparent size distributions obtained by laser sheet illumination and image analysis. The procedure proposed is robust and viable and can account for laser sheet thickness. The procedure is shown to provide fully satisfactory results even with quite extreme distributions. BSD resolution dependence on the numerousness of raw data processed is discussed. Use of the proposed procedure for extracting BSD from bubble chord raw data obtained by other devices, such as point probes, is straightforward.