Drift mass, multifluid modelling of two-phase bubbly flow and superfluid hydrodynamics (Q1825093)

Hamilton's variational principle of least action for the two-fluid hydrodynamics of bubbly liquid/gas mixtures is extended by adding the virtual mass of the gas bubbles as an independent variable. The additional Euler-Lagrange equation, which determines the virtual-mass coefficient, expresses some local internal equilibrium of the two-phase medium. The extended two-fluid model is transformed analytically into a three-fluid model. The drift-mass coefficient, which is defined in a natural way within the frame of the three-fluid model, turns out to be a simple function of the virtual-mass coefficient. In the limit of small void fractions Darwin's theorem is recovered. Some striking similarities with the two-fluid hydrodynamics of superfluid \({}^ 4He\) are pointed out.