Particle–bubble dynamics blocking sediment diffusion in the core region of bubble plumes

Bubble plume barrier technology is a common physical barrier technology that can be used to prevent the diffusion of suspended particles in water. The formation quality of the plume and the particle–bubble interaction in the core region affect the barrier effect. To clarify the mechanism by which bubble plumes block particles, the blocking trajectory of the particles and the factors affecting the quality of the plume are studied experimentally. Concurrently, owing to the complexity of the experimental phenomenon, a VOF-based CFD–DEM framework was used to simulate multiphase interactions between free-rising bubbles and settling particles in gas–liquid–solid systems. From the perspective of bubble dynamics and particle dynamics, the dynamic behavior of the interaction between a particle swarm and a single bubble is analyzed, and the particle dynamics behavior in the core region of the plume under the combined action of cross flow and a bubble plume is clarified. Combined with previous research on the characteristics of bubble plumes and the dynamic behavior of particles in the shear flow on both sides, the principle of a bubble plume blocking the diffusion of dredged particles and barrier failure is proposed.