Simulating the opening of a champagne bottle

Abstract

The axially symmetric, swirl-free gas dynamics and interlinked motion of a cork stopper provoked by the opening of a champagne bottle are modelled rigorously and studied numerically. The experimental study by Liger-Belair et al. (Science Advances, 5(9), 2019) animated the present investigation. Inspection analysis justifies the inviscid treatment of the expanding jet of air enriched with dissolved carbonic acid gas initially pressurised in the bottle. Solving of the resulting Euler equations is facilitated by the open-source software Clawpack. Specific enhancements allow for resolving of the emerging supersonic pockets, associated with surprisingly complex shock structures, as well as the gas–stopper interaction with due accuracy. Our experimental effort provided modelling of the frictional behaviour, constitutive law and reversible (de-)compression of the cork material. Initially, the gas expands inside the bottleneck yet sealed by the stopper, and is hence accelerated by the gas but decelerated by dry sliding friction. Once the stopper has passed the bottle opening, the jet rapidly assumes locally supersonic speed, where a complex shock pattern is detected. Special attention is paid to the formation and dissolution of one or even two Mach discs between the opening and the released stopper. This simulated dynamics is found to be in fairly good agreement with recent experimental findings. It also provides a first insight into the generation of the typical popping sound.