Application of an electrodynamic balance to the study of particle-fluid interactions

An electrodynamic balance was used to study the aerodynamics and mass transfer characteristics of spherical and nonspherical particles up to 200 m in size. The balance uses an electric field established by a DC potential to a pair of end electrodes and an AC potential to the central electrode to suspend single changed particles. The suspended particle is then subjected to a steady and/or oscillating air jet. Results from this study indicate that the drag coefficient of irregular-shaped particles was greater than that for spheres, and was unaffected by rotation. Measured mass transfer rates for irregular-shaped naphthalene particles were consistently higher than values predicted for equivalent spheres. These results suggest a strong influence of mass transfer on particle shape and particle Reynolds number.List of symbols A project area - d diameter - d _e area equivalent diameter - F _D drag force - F _E electrostatic force - g gravitational constant - K _B, K _B balance constants - k ₁, k ₂ calibration constants - m mass - P pixel count - q charge - Re Reynolds number - U jet velocity - V _DC balance DC voltage - V _DC,O balance DC voltage without air flow - particle density - _a density of air - v viscosity of air     

Velocity measurements in a two-phase turbulent jet

The motion of oil droplets in a round turbulent air jet is investigated experimentally. Direct information on the droplets' average velocity is obtained by means of a Laser Doppler velocimeter. Average velocity profiles of the droplets are measured along the axis of the jet and transverse to it. The results are compared to the free jet expansion.The jet Reynolds number is in the range 10⁴–10⁵, the droplets' diameters are 50 μm and below and the volume concentration of the oil in the air is 10^?6.At the jet exit, the air velocity is higher than the droplets' velocity, at the developed region of the jet the droplets' velocity is found to be higher than the free air jet velocity at the same location. In the radial direction, the velocity profiles of the droplets are self similar and the droplets' velocity is lower than the free air jet velocity at the same location. The droplets' velocity decay along the axis of the jet is slower than the air velocity in the free jet and the two-phase jet is narrower than the submerged free air jet at the same exit velocity.     

Study of parameters and entrainment of a jet in cross-flow arrangement with transition at two low Reynolds numbers

Investigation of the mixing process is one of the main issues in chemical engineering and combustion and the configuration of a jet into a cross-flow (JCF) is often employed for this purpose. Experimental data are gained for the symmetry plane in a JCF-arrangement of an air flow using a combination of particle image velocimetry (PIV) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The experimental data with thoroughly measured boundary conditions are complemented with direct numerical simulations, which are based on idealized boundary conditions. Two similar cases are studied with a fixed jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio of 3.5 and variable cross-flow Reynolds numbers equal to 4,120 and 8,240; in both cases the jet issues from the pipe at laminar conditions. This leads to a laminar-to-turbulent transition, which depends on the Reynolds number and occurs quicker for the case with higher Reynolds number in both experiments and simulations as well. It was found that the Reynolds number only slightly affects the jet trajectory, which in the case with the higher Reynolds number is slightly deeper. It is attributed to the changed boundary layer shape of the cross-flow. Leeward streamlines bend toward the jet and are responsible for the strong entrainment of cross-flow fluid into the jet. Velocity components are compared for the two Reynolds numbers at the leeward side at positions where strongest entrainment is present and a pressure minimum near the jet trajectory is found. The numerical simulations showed that entrainment is higher for the case with the higher Reynolds number. The latter is attributed to the earlier transition in this case. Fluid entrainment of the jet in cross-flow is more than twice stronger than for a similar flow of a jet issuing into a co-flowing stream. This comparison is made along the trajectory of the two jets at a distance of 5.5 jet diameters downstream and is based on the results from the direct numerical simulations and recently published experiments of a straight jet into a co-flow. Mixing is further studied by means of second-order statistics of the passive scalar variance and the Reynolds fluxes. Windward and leeward sides of the jet exhibit different signs for the time-averaged streamwise Reynolds flux 〈v _x ′c′〉. The large coherent structures which contribute to this effect are investigated by means of timely correlated instantaneous PIV-LIF camera snapshots and their contribution to the average statistics of 〈v _x ′c′〉 are discussed. The discussion on mixing capabilities of the jet in cross-flow is supported by simulation results showing the instantaneous three-dimensional coherent structures defined in terms of the pressure fluctuations.     

Compressible spreading rates of supersonic coaxial jets

The compressible spreading rates of two supersonic coaxial jets were studied experimentally. The center jet had a fully-expanded Mach number of 3, and the outer jet of M = 1.8. The geometries of the center jet were circular and rectangular with two configurations, both with a 3∶1 aspect-ratio. The convective Mach numbers were varied in the range between 0.25 < M _c< 2.25. This was accomplished by varying the density ratio between the center jet and the coaxial jet, as well as the velocity ratio. The experimental compressible spreading rate was determined using Schlieren photography and total-pressure measurements. The spreading rate of the center circular jet decreased with increasing convective Mach number until it reached a constant value of 0.2 to 0.3 of the incompressible spreading rate for M _c>1.4. The rectangular jets exhibited a similar drop, at the same range of M _c, but their spreading rate was higher relative to the circular jet in the entire convective Mach number range.     

Mean flow characteristics of a 3D turbulent wall jet over an isothermal and an insulating flat surface

An experimental study was carried out on the mean aerodynamic and heat-exchange characteristics of a weaklyheated air jet flowing over an isothermal and an insulating flat surface. The jet issued from a contracting profiled rectangular nozzle (39×22 m² outlet) at 30 m/sec velocity (Re _d =~5.5×10⁴) and incidence angle α₀, π/12, π/6, π/4. It was established that as α₀ increases, so do the decay rates of the axial velocity and temperature along the jet axis as well as the jet width, while the jet thickness decreases. Parallel examination of an in sulating and an isothermal surface permitted separation of the heat-exchange process between the jet and the surrounding medium, from that between the jet and the wall surface-with the conclusion tha tin the isothermal case, the exchange with the surface intensifies as α₀ increases.     

Direct numerical simulation of a particle-laden low Reynolds number turbulent round jet

Direct numerical simulation method is used for the investigating of particle-laden turbulent flows in a spatially evolution of low Reynolds number axisymmetric jet, and the Eulerian–Lagrangian point-particle approach is employed in the simulation. The simulation uses an explicit coupling scheme between particles and the fluid, which considers two-way coupling between the particle and the fluid. The DNS results are compared well with experimental data with equal Reynolds number (R_e = 1700). Our objects are: (i) to investigate the correlation between the particle number density and the fluctuating of fluid streamwise velocity; (ii) to examine whether the three-dimensional vortex structures in the particle-laden jet are the same as that in the free-air jet and how the particles modulate the thee-dimensional vortex structures and turbulence properties with different Stokes number particles; (iii) to discover the particle circumferential dispersion with different Stokes number particles. Our findings: (i) all the particles, regardless of their particle size, tend to preferentially accumulate in the region with large-than-mean fluid streamwise velocity; (ii) the small Stokes number particles take an important part in the modulation of three-dimensional vortex structures, but for the intermediate and larger sized particles, this modulation effect seems not so apparent; (iii) the particle circumferential dispersion is more effective for the smaller and intermediate sized particles, especially for the intermediate sized particles.     

Velocity measurements in a plane turbulent air jet at moderate Reynolds numbers

An experimental investigation of the moderate Reynolds number plane air jets was undertaken and the effect of the jet Reynolds number on the turbulent flow structure was determined. The Reynolds number, which was defined by the jet exit conditions, was varied between 1000 and 7000. Other initial conditions, such as the initial turbulence intensity, were kept constant throughout the experiments. Both hot-wire and laser Doppler anemometry were used for the velocity measurements. In the moderate Reynolds number regime, the turbulent flow structure is in transition. The average size and the number of the large scale of turbulence (per unit length of jet) was unaffected by the Reynolds number. A broadening of the turbulent spectra with increasing Reynolds number was observed. This indicated that there is a decrease in the strength of the large eddies resulting from a reduction of the relative energy available to them. This diminished the jet mixing with the ambient as the Reynolds number increased. Higher Reynolds numbers led to lower jet dilution and spread rates. On the other hand, at higher Reynolds numbers the dependence of jet mixing on Reynolds number became less significant as the turbulent flow structure developed into a self-preserving state.List of symbols b _u velocity half-width of the jet - C _u, C _u,0 constants defining the velocity decay rate - D nozzle width - E _u one dimensional power spectrum of velocity fluctuations - f frequency - K _u, K _u,0 constants defining the jet spread rate - k wavenumber (2f/U) - L longitudinal integral scale - R ₁₁ correlation function - r separation distance - Re jet Reynolds number (U ₀ D/v) - St Strouhal number (fD/U ₀) - t time - U axial component of the mean velocity - U _m mean velocity on the jet axis - U ₀ mean velocity at the jet exit - u the rms of u - u fluctuating component of the axial velocity - V lateral component of the mean velocity - fluctuating component of the lateral velocity - x axial distance from the nozzle exit - y lateral distance from the jet axis - z spanwise distance from the jet axis - v kinematic viscosity - time lag A version of this paper was presented as paper no. 86-0038 at the AIAA 24th Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno NV, USA, January 1986     

Near-field instability of variable property jet in normal gravity and microgravity fields

The near-field instability of variable property jets of air, CO₂, and He, issued into the ambient air, has been investigated experimentally within normal gravity and microgravity fields. The density ratio to the ambient air is unity for air jets, more than unity (1.53) for CO₂ jets, and less than unity (0.14) for He jets, respectively. The ratio of kinematic viscosity to the ambient air is unity for air jets, less than unity for CO₂ jets (0.53), and more than unity for He jets (7.75), respectively. The jet velocity is varied from 0.4 to 1.8 m/s and then the jet Reynolds number varies from 60 for Helium jet to 2,000 for CO₂ jet, while the Richardson number varies from negative to positive values. The motion of the jet is visualized using a laser tomographic method and recorded by a high-speed digital video camera with 250 frames/s. The result shows that the instability of the jet is intensified when Re > 800 while it is weakened at Re < 800 at the microgravity field, indicating that the viscosity plays an important role in weakening the instability. Under a normal gravity field, the buoyancy also becomes important. In order to quantify the instability criteria, the quantity of the instability is introduced, which consists of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, buoyancy effect and viscous effect. When the ratio of the sum of Kelvin–Helmholtz and buoyancy forces to viscous force exceeds a certain value, around 12 in the present study, the jet becomes unstable even when Re < 800. These results reveal that the instability of variable property jets is influenced by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, the viscous effect and the buoyancy effect.     

Measurements of Turbulent Jet Mixing in a Turbulent Co-Flow Including the Influence of Periodic Forcing and Heating

In this work, the turbulent mixing of a confined coaxial jet in air is investigated by means of simultaneous particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence of the acetone seeded flow injection. The jet is injected into a turbulent duct flow at atmospheric pressure through a 90 ^° pipe bend. Measurements are conducted in a small scale windtunnel at constant mass flow rates and three modes of operation: isothermal steady jet injection at a Dean number of 20000 (R e _d =32000), pulsed isothermal injection at a Womersley number of 65 and steady injection at elevated jet temperatures of ΔT=50 K and ΔT=100 K. The experiment is aimed at providing statistically converged quantities of velocity, mass fraction, turbulent fluctuations and turbulent mass flux at several downstream locations. Stochastic error convergence over the number of samples is assessed within the outer turbulent shear layer. From 3000 samples the statistical error of time-averaged velocity and mass fraction is below 1 % while the error of Reynolds shear stress and turbulent mass flux components is in the of range 5-6 %. Profiles of axial velocity and turbulence intensity immediately downstream of the bend exit are in good agreement with hot-wire measurements from literature. During pulsed jet injection strong asymmetric growing of shear layer vortices lead to a skewed mass fraction profile in comparison with steady injection. Phase averaging of single shot PLIF-PIV measurements allows to track the asymmetric shear layer vortex evolvement and flow breakdown during a pulsation cycle with a resolution of 10^°. Steady injection with increased jet temperature supports mixing downstream from 6 nozzle diameters onward.     

Vaporization of a liquid hexanes jet in cross flow

The vaporization characteristics of a liquid hexanes jet in a lab-scale test section with a plain orifice-type injector were experimentally investigated. The experimental measurements were carried out on the basis of the infrared laser extinction method using two He–Ne lasers (one at 632.8 nm and the other at 3.39 μm). The momentum flux ratio (q_F/A) was varied from 20 to 60 over 20 steps, and the supplying air temperature (T_A) was changed from 20 to 260 °C over 120 steps. The objectives of the current study were to assess the vaporization characteristics of a liquid hexanes jet and to derive a correlation between flow conditions and hexanes vapor concentration in a jet-in-crossflow configuration. From the results of the experimental measurement, it was concluded that hexanes vapor concentration increased with the increase of the momentum flux ratio and the supplying air temperature. An experimental correlation between flow conditions and hexanes vapor concentration (Z_F) was proposed as a function of the normalized horizontal distance (x/d_o), the supplying air temperature (T_A), the momentum flux ratio (q_F/A), the fuel jet Reynolds number (Re_F), and the fuel jet Weber number (We_F).     

Analysis and reconstruction of a pulsed jet in crossflow by multi-plane snapshot POD

In this work, snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to study a pulsed jet in crossflow where the velocity fields are extracted from stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) results. The studied pulsed jet is characterized by a frequency f = 1 Hz, a Reynolds number Re _j  = 500 (based on the mean jet velocity ${\overline{U}_{j}}$  = 1.67 cm/s and a mean velocity ratio of R = 1). Pulsed jet and continuous jet are compared via mean velocity field trajectory and Q criterion. POD results of instantaneous, phase-averaged and fluctuating velocity fields are presented and compared in this paper. Snapshot POD applied on one plane allows us to distinguish an organization of the first spatial eigenmodes. A distinction between “natural modes” and “pulsed modes” is achieved with the results obtained by the pulsed and unforced jet. Secondly, the correlation tensor is established with four parallel planes (multi-plane snapshot POD) for the evaluation of volume spatial modes. These resulting modes are interpolated and the volume velocity field is reconstructed with a minimal number of modes for all the times of the pulsation period. These reconstructions are compared to orthogonal measurements to the transverse jet in order to validate the obtained three-dimensional velocity fields. Finally, this POD approach for the 3D flow field reconstruction from experimental data issued from planes parallel to the flow seems capable to extract relevant information from a complex three-dimensional flow and can be an alternative to tomo-PIV for large volume of measurement.     

Aerodynamic flow vectoring of a wake using asymmetric synthetic jet actuation

This paper reports an experimental investigation on the wake of a blunt-based, flat plate subjected to aerodynamic flow vectoring using asymmetric synthetic jet actuation. Wake vectoring was achieved using a synthetic jet placed at the model base 2.5?mm from the upper corner. The wake Reynolds number based on the plate thickness was 7,200. The synthetic jet actuation frequency was selected to be about 75?% the vortex shedding frequency of the natural wake. At this actuation frequency, the synthetic jet delivered a periodic flow with a momentum coefficient, C _??, of up to 62?%. Simultaneous measurements of the streamwise and transverse components of the velocity were performed using particle image velocimetry (PIV) in the near wake. The results suggested that for significant wake vectoring, vortex shedding must be suppressed first. Under the flow conditions cited above, C _?? values in the range of 10?C20?% were required. The wake vectoring angle seemed to asymptote to a constant value of about 30° at downstream distances, x/h, larger than 4 for C _?? values ranging between 24 and 64?%. The phase-averaged vorticity contours and the phase-averaged normal lift force showed that most of the wake vectoring is produced during the suction phase of the actuation, while the blowing phase was mostly responsible for vortex shedding suppression.     

Numerical investigation of gas-particle flow in the primary air pipe of a low NOx swirl burner – The DEM-CFD method

The gas-particle flow in the primary air pipe (PAP) of a low NO_x swirl burner was investigated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with the discrete element method (DEM). The mathematical models were validated using the measured values obtained at the outlet of the primary pipe through a phase Doppler anemometer (PDA) system. Particles of different Stokes numbers in the primary air pipe (PAP) were investigated, and the effects of the structure of the primary air pipe and the particle–particle interaction on particle dispersion were analyzed. The results indicate that particles under the combined effects of the Venturi pipe and the spindle body are concentrated into a narrow band area and that the PAP structure can more efficiently concentrate particles with large Stokes numbers. The formed fuel rich/lean jet persists for a long distance out of the burner, thereby favoring of air-staged combustion and NO_x reduction. The particle collision frequency and its fluctuation range increase as the particle Stokes number increases. The collisions among particles result in an increase of the spanwise dispersion of particles. Experimental results indicate that the models that take particle–particle collision into consideration are more able to predict particle concentration.     

Time-resolved velocity and concentration measurements in variable-viscosity turbulent jet flow

This paper addresses the ability to reliably measure the fluctuating velocity field in variable-viscosity flows (herein, a propane–air mixture), using hot-wire anemometry. Because the latter is sensitive to both velocity and concentration fluctuations, the instantaneous concentration field also needs to be inferred experimentally. To overcome this difficulty, we show that the hot-wire response becomes insensitive to the concentration of the field, when a small amount of neon is added to the air. In this way, velocity measurements can be made independently of the concentration field. Although not necessary to velocity measurements, Rayleigh light-scattering technique is also used to infer the local (fluctuating) concentration, and, therefore, the viscosity of the fluid. Velocity and concentration measurements are performed in a turbulent propane jet discharging into an air–neon co-flow, for which the density and viscosity ratios are 1.52 and 1/5.5, respectively. The Reynolds number (based on injection diameter and velocity) is 15400. These measurements are first validated: the axial decay of the mean velocity and concentration, as well as the lateral mean and RMS profiles of velocity and concentration, is in full agreement with the existing literature. The variable-viscosity flow along the axis of the round jet is then characterized and compared with a turbulent air jet discharging into still air, for which the Reynolds number (based on injection diameter and velocity) is 5400. Both flows have the same initial jet momentum. As mixing with the viscous co-flow is enhanced with increasing downstream position, the viscosity of the fluid increases rapidly for the case of the propane jet. In comparison with the air jet, the propane jet exhibits: (1) a lower local Reynolds number based on the Taylor microscale (by a factor of four); (2) a reduced range of scales present in the flow; (3) the isotropic form of the mean energy dissipation rate is first more enhanced and then drastically diminishes and (4) a progressively increasing local Schmidt number (from 1.36 to 7.5) for increasing downstream positions. Therefore, the scalar spectra exhibit an increasingly prominent Batchelor regime with a ~ k ^?1 scaling law. The experimental technique developed herein provides a reliable method for the study of variable-viscosity flows.     

Combined aerodynamic and electrostatic atomization of dielectric liquid jets

The electrical and atomization performance of a plane?Cplane charge injection atomizer using a dielectric liquid, and operating at pump pressures ranging from 15 to 35?bar corresponding to injection velocities of up to 50?m/s, is explored via low current electrical measurements, spray imaging and phase Doppler anemometry. The work is aimed at understanding the contribution of electrostatic charging relevant to typical higher pressure fuel injection systems such as those employed in the aeronautical, automotive and marine sectors. Results show that mean-specific charge increases with injection velocity significantly. The effect of electrostatic charge is advantageous at the 15?C35?bar range, and an arithmetic mean diameter D ₁₀ as low as 0.2d is achievable in the spray core and lower still in the periphery where d is the orifice diameter. Using the data available from this higher pressure system and from previous high Reynolds number systems (Shrimpton and Yule Exp Fluids 26:460?C469, 1999), the promotion of primary atomization has been analysed by examining the effect that charge has on liquid jet surface and liquid jet bulk instability. The results suggest that for the low charge density Q _v?~?2?C/m³ cases under consideration here, a significant increase in primary atomization is observed due to a combination of electrical and aerodynamic forces acting on the jet surface, attributed to the significantly higher jet Weber number (We _j) when compared to low injection pressure cases. Analysis of Sauter mean diameter results shows that for jets with elevated specific charge density of the order Q _v?~?6?C/m³, the jet creates droplets that a conventional turbulent jet would, but with a significantly lower power requirement. This suggests that ??turbulent?? primary atomization, the turbulence being induced by electrical forces, may be achieved under injection pressures that would produce laminar jets.     

On Turbulent Jets Issuing from Notched-Rectangular and Circular Orifice Plates

This paper reports an experimental investigation of the near-field flow characteristics of two air/air turbulent jets issuing respectively from notched-rectangular and circular orifice plates with identical opening areas or equivalent diameters (D _e ). Planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the velocity field at the same Reynolds number, based on D _e , of Re = 72,000. Consistent with previous work on other noncircular jets, the present study finds that the notched jet has a higher rate of mixing than does the circular counterpart. In particular, this jet in the very near field transfers its momentum to the surroundings at a greater rate, evidenced by a notably shorter unmixed core and faster turbulence intensity growth. The higher rates of overall decay and spread of the notched jet are maintained over the entire measurement region and likely beyond. In addition, the phenomenon of axis switching is also found to occur in this jet.     

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of aerosol behavior in a high-speed (Heubach) rotating drum dustiness tester

Potential exposure from hazardous dust may be assessed by evaluating the dustiness of the powders being handled. Dustiness is the tendency of a powder to aerosolize with a given input of energy. Previously we used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to numerically investigate the flow inside the European Standard (EN15051) rotating drum dustiness tester during its operation. The present work extends those CFD studies to the widely used Heubach rotating drum. Air flow characteristics are investigated within the Abe-Kondoh-Nagano k-epsilon turbulence model; the aerosol is incorporated via a Euler-Lagrangian multiphase approach. The air flow inside these drums consists of a well-defined axial jet penetrating relatively quiescent air. The spreading of the Heubach jet results in a fraction of the jet recirculating as back-flow along the drum walls; at high rotation rates, the axial jet becomes unstable. This flow behavior qualitatively differs from the stable EN15051 flow pattern. The aerodynamic instability promotes efficient mixing within the Heubach drum, resulting in higher particle capture efficiencies for particle sizes d < 80 μm.     

Parametric analysis of a round jet impingement on a heated plate

In this study, the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a round air jet have been experimentally investigated in details using two techniques: Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and the Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). The measurement of the mean velocity components are compared, and agree well with the experimental data obtained by Baydar (1999). The distributions of the velocity, turbulence quantities and temperature profiles are analyzed in the main characteristic regions of the jet where the heat transfer occurs. Parametric variations were conducted to produce information about the influences of the Reynolds number (Re = 1000, 2000, 3000), the distance between the pipe exit and the flat impingement plate (h/d = 1 and h/d = 2) and the temperature of the plane (T_p = 22 °C, 54 °C, 96 °C) on the impinging jet flow field.     

PIV measurements for gas flow under gradient magnetic fields

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) techniques were developed to measure the convective N2-air flow under gradient magnetic fields. The velocity fields were calculated by the Minimum Quadratic Difference (MQD) algorithm and spurious vectors were eliminated by Delaunay Tessellation.The N2-air flow was measured as the magnetic flux density varying from 0～1.5T. A strengthened vortex flow of air was observed under the condition that the magnetic field was applied, and the velocity of N2 jet rose with the increase of the magnetic density. The experimental results show that the magnetic force will induce a vortex flow and cause a convection flow of the air mixture when both gradients of the O2 concentration and the magnetic field intensity exist.     

The structure of particle-laden,underexpanded free jets

Underexpanded, supersonic gas-particle jets were experimentally studied using the shadowgraph technique in order to examine the influence of the dispersed particles on the shape of the free jet and the structure of the imbedded shock waves. The particle mass loading at the nozzle exit was varied between zero and one, and two sizes of particles (i.e. spherical glass beads) with mean number diameters of 26 and 45 m were used. It was found that the Mach-disc moves upstream towards the orifice with increasing particle loading. The laser light sheet technique was also used to visualize the particle concentration distribution within the particle jet and the spreading rate of the particle jet. Furthermore, the particle velocity along the jet centerline was measured with a modified laser-Doppler anemometer. These measurements revealed that the particles move considerably slower than the gas flow at the nozzle exit. This is mainly the result of the particle inertia, whereby the particles are not accelerated to sonic speed in the converging part of the nozzle.In order to further explore the particle behavior in the free jet, numerical studies were performed by a combined Eulerian/Lagrangian approach for the gas and particle phases, including full coupling between the two phases. The numerical results showed that the application of different particle velocities at the nozzle exit as the inlet conditions, which were below the sonic speed of the gas phase has a significant influence on the free jet shape and the configuration of the shock waves. These results demonstrate that the assumption of equilibrium flow (i.e. zero slip between the phases) at the nozzle exit which has been applied in most of the previous numerical studies is not justified in most cases. Furthermore, the numerical calculations of the free jet shape and the particle velocity along the jet axis were compared with the measurements. Although correlations for rarefaction and compressibility effects in the drag coefficient were taken into account, the particle velocity along the center line was considerably overpredicted.This article was processed using Springer-Verlag T_EX Shock Waves macro package 1.0 and the AMS fonts, developed by the American Mathematical Society.