Quantifying the influence of conduit inclination on Taylor Bubble behaviour in basaltic magmas.

Hannah Calleja, Tom D Pering 

The ascent of single Taylor bubbles suspended in a range of Newtonian liquids, scaled to mimic basaltic magmas, within vertical and inclined tubes has been studied experimentally over the range 0° to 70° (where 0° is vertical and 90° is horizontal). Using measurements of Taylor bubble parameters (ascent velocity and film thickness) and morphology, alongside dimensionless numbers, we show that inclination has a clear effect on bubble behaviour and morphology. Notably, ascent velocity peaks at inclinations of 40 to 50°, with proportional velocity increases of ~40-90% with respect to vertical ascent values, before decreasing again. This work provides a basis for the expansion of existing theoretical framework to accommodate for conduit inclination in volcanic scenarios.