Rates of bubble diffusion and turbulence dissipation in highly aerated hydraulic jumps

Air–water mixing associated with high turbulence is a common hydraulic phenomenon, where the transport of entrained air bubbles and the dissipation of turbulent energy are key processes affecting the air–water mass transfer. Herein hydraulic jumps were selected as a seminal case of self-air-entrainment in transitional water flow, and the air–water flow properties were investigated at high Froude numbers from 10.5 to 13.5. The analysis of air concentration distributions and bubble size spectra enabled deviation of the rates of bubble diffusion and turbulence dissipation. The study was facilitated with re-analyses of earlier experimental data for smaller Froude numbers between 3.8 and 10. The spatial evolution of the diffusion and dissipation rates suggested that the diffusion of air bubbles and dissipation of turbulent structures were not independent processes, and, at high Froude numbers, the mix of air and water was subject to re-aeration of the turbulent shear layer by the roller.