The stability of the dome of a liquid bubble rising in a dense liquid

The results of experiments researching the stability of the dome of a large water bubble rising in a salt solution are presented. The experiments demonstrate the suppression of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability on the dome of the rising bubble with the Atwood number being A ≪ 1. The intensive development of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability on the lateral surface of the bubble is observed as it rises. The stability of the dome of the rising bubble is explained by the action of an accelerated shear flow of water over the bubble surface. The results of computational modeling of the problem by the STAR-CCM + program are presented. (paper)