ABSTRACT
This paper deals with fluids solubilization in seawater achieved with the Cedre Experimental Column (CEC) which is a stainless steel column of 5 m high and 0.8 m in diameter. Experiments were performed with n-butanol at low mass flow rate in order to characterize the solubilization processes at the droplet scale. To compare these processes between bottom and top of the column, two different optical imaging systems were used. These devices provided new results on the decrease of droplet diameter flowing in seawater with a volume loss between CEC bottom to top close to 80 %. Physics of the two-phase flow is presented and highlights the solubilization processes in the wake of the droplets with trailing edges vortices. The comparison with Clift's velocity correlation for rising droplets shows good agreement for measurements at the CEC top but some discrepancy occurs for the CEC bottom.
