Modeling time-delayed acoustic interactions of cavitation bubbles and bubble clusters

We propose a low-dimensional modeling approach to simulate the dynamics, acoustic emissions, and interactions of cavitation bubbles, based on a quasi-acoustic assumption. This quasi-acoustic assumption accounts for the compressibility of the medium surrounding the bubble and its finite speed of sound, whereby the potential of the acoustic wave emitted by the bubble propagates along outgoing characteristics. With these ingredients, a consistent set of equations describing the radial bubble dynamics as well as the resulting acoustic emissions and bubble–bubble interactions is obtained, which is accurate to the first order of the Mach number. This model is tested by considering several representative test cases, including the resonance behavior of multiple interacting bubbles and the response of dense mono- and polydisperse bubble clusters to a change in ambient pressure. The results are shown to be in excellent agreement with results reported in the literature. The differences associated with the finite propagation speed of the acoustic waves are observed to be most pronounced for the pressure-driven bubble dynamics in dense bubble clusters and the onset of cavitation in response to a change in ambient pressure.