Nanoparticle nucleation and coagulation in a mixing layer

Numerical simulation of nanoparticle nucleation and coagulation in a mixing layer with sulfuric acid vapor binary system is performed using the large eddy simulation and the direct quadrature method of moment. The distributions of number concentration, volume concentration, and average diameter of nanoparticles are obtained. The results show that the coherent structures have an important effect on the distributions of number concentration, volume concentration and average diameter of nanoparticles via continuously transporting and diffusing the nanoparticles to the area of low particle concentration. In the streamwise direction, the number concentration of nanoparticles decreases, while the volume concentration and the average diameter increase. The distributions of number concentration, volume concentration and average diameter of nanoparticles are spatially inhomogeneous. The characteristic time of nucleation is shorter than that of coagulation. The nucleation takes place more easily in the area of low temperature because where the number concentration of nanoparticles is high, while the intensity of coagulation is mainly affected by the number concentration. Both nucleation and coagulation result in the variation of average diameter of nanoparticles.     

Multiscale simulations and experiments on water jet atomization

Numerical simulation of primary atomization at high Reynolds number is still a challenging problem. In this work a multiscale approach for the numerical simulation of liquid jet primary atomization is applied, using an Eulerian-Lagrangian coupling. In this approach, an Eulerian volume of fluid (VOF) method, where the Reynolds stresses are closed by a Reynolds stress model is applied to model the global spreading of the liquid jet. The formation of the micro-scale droplets, which are usually smaller than the grid spacing in the computational domain, is modelled by an energy-based sub-grid model. Where the disruptive forces (turbulence and surface pressure) of turbulent eddies near the surface of the jet overcome the capillary forces, droplets are released with the local properties of the corresponding eddies. The dynamics of the generated droplets are modelled using Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT). A numerical coupling between the Eulerian and Lagrangian frames is then established via source terms in conservation equations. As a follow-up study to our investigation in Saeedipour et al. (2016a), the present paper aims at modelling drop formation from liquid jets at high Reynolds numbers in the atomization regime and validating the simulation results against in-house experiments. For this purpose, phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA) was used to measure the droplet size and velocity distributions in sprays produced by water jet breakup at different Reynolds numbers in the atomization regime. The spray properties, such as droplet size spectra, local and global Sauter-mean drop sizes and velocity distributions obtained from the simulations are compared with experiment at various locations with very good agreement.     

Properties of vortices in the self-similar turbulent jet

Instantaneous, two-dimensional velocity measurements were conducted in the axial plane of a self-similar turbulent axisymmetric jet. The velocity fields were high-pass filtered to expose the vortical structures. An automated method was used to identify the radial and axial coordinates of the vortex centers and rotational sense, and to measure their size, circulation, vorticity, and energy. New insights into turbulent jets are obtained by plotting statistical distributions for vortex properties as functions of Reynolds number and radial position. While the probability of finding a vortex is uniform up to the edge of the jet, the strongest eddies in the high-pass filtered field occur near the jet axis. The average circulation is directly proportional to the vortex size. The Reynolds number strongly affects the average vorticity, circulation, and energy of the eddies. However, the normalized curves show a good collapse implying that the jet is indeed self-similar. Results for the left and right half-planes of the jet are also presented. Interestingly, we find that contrary to customary drawings of jet flows, a substantial number of both clockwise and counter-clockwise rotating eddies exist on both sides of the jet axis, with almost equal numbers of oppositely rotating vortices close to the jet axis. Further, the disparity in the number of oppositely rotating eddies in each half-plane increases with the eddy size. Nevertheless, these results are consistent with the well-known radial vorticity distribution of axisymmetric jets.     

Numerical modeling of the formation of aerosol particles in jet engine plumes

The formation of liquid sulfate aerosols in the isobaric axisymmetric plume of a subsonic aircraft is modeled numerically. The specific features of the appearance and evolution of sulfate aerosols attributable to 2D effects, such as the parameter nonuniformity in the initial section (at the nozzle outlet), mixing of the hot engine jet with the cold air stream, and the transverse turbulent diffusion of aerosol particles and gas mixture components. The equations of gas dynamics for a turbulent axisymmetric jet, the equations of chemical kinetics, the equations for the liquid fractions (water and sulfuric acid), and the relations for the binary nucleation, condensation growth and coagulation of aerosol particles are used. The distributions of the parameters determining the formation of the aerosol phase in the exhaust plume of a B-747 aircraft are obtained and the geometry of the nucleation zone in this plume is determined.     

Development and characterization of plasma actuators for high-speed jet control

Active control of high Reynolds number and high-speed jets has been hampered due to the lack of suitable actuators. Some of the attributes that would make an actuator suitable for such flows are: high amplitude and bandwidth; small size for distribution around the jet; phase-locking ability for jet azimuthal mode forcing; and sufficient ruggedness for hot jets. We have been developing a class of actuators termed localized arc filament plasma actuators, which possess such characteristics. In this paper, we present the development and characterization of these actuators as well as preliminary results on their applications in high Reynolds number Mach 0.9 and ideally expanded Mach 1.3 jets.Patent pending     

The stability of low Reynolds number round jets

Multigrid cross-correlation digital particle image velocimetry (MCCDPIV) is used to investigate the stability and structure of low Reynolds number axisymmetric jets. The in-plane velocities, out-of-plane vorticity and some of the components of the Reynolds stress tensor are measured. Two Reynolds numbers based on the orifice outlet diameter are examined (680 and 1,030) at two different positions: one close to the orifice, ranging from 2D ₀ to 5D ₀ (D ₀ is the orifice diameter); and the other further from the orifice, ranging from 10D ₀ to 14.4D ₀. The results show that the lower Reynolds number jet (Re=680) is marginally unstable in the near-orifice region and is best described as laminar. Further downstream some intermittent structures are observed in the jet, and the growth in integrated turbulent kinetic energy with axial position indicates that the jet is also unstable in this region. For the higher Reynolds number jet (Re=1,030) the increasing size and intensity of vortical structures in the jet in the near-orifice region observed from the MCCDPIV data and the growth in integrated turbulent kinetic energy indicate that the jet is unstable. Further downstream this jet is best described as transitional or turbulent. From flow visualisation images in the near-orifice region it seems that, for both Reynolds numbers, shear layer roll-up occurs when the jet exits the orifice and enters the quiescent fluid in the tank, resulting in vortical structures that appear to grow as the jet proceeds. This is indicative of instability in both cases and is consistent with previous flow visualisation studies of low Reynolds number round jets. Discrepancies observed between the flow visualisation results and the MCCDPIV data is addressed. On the basis of flow visualisation results it is generally assumed that round jets are unstable at very low Reynolds number, however the present work shows that this assertion may be incorrect.     

Dynamics of heavy particles in two swirling jets

We report flow visualisations and laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) velocity measurements in the near field of two swirling jets. The Reynolds number based on jet diameter and bulk velocity at the nozzle exit is 1.4 × 10⁵. In the first jet, a small recirculation region is formed around the jet axis, while, in the second, the streamwise velocity remains positive and overshoots near the jet centre. In both cases, flow visualisations show that the vortex core of the jets is depleted of seeding particles. By using time-averaged distributions of the streamwise and tangential velocities measured at the nozzle outlet, the dynamics of the particles is simulated, by integrating their simplified equations of motion. The particles trajectory thus computed agrees well with that observed in the flow visualisations. Although the turbulence intensity is substantially different in the core of the two jets, its effect on the seeding concentration is localised near the edge of the core.     

Investigation of Submerged Jets with an Extended Initial Laminar Region

The method of producing laminar submerged jets using a device, whose length is comparable with the jet diameter, is described. A submerged air jet, 0.12 m in diameter, produced by means of this technique is experimentally investigated in the Reynolds number range from 2000 to 13 000. Hot-wire anemometer measurements of the flow parameters and laser visualization of the flow are performed. It is shown that the device developed makes it possible to produce submerged jets with the laminar regions as long as 5.5 jet diameters. The initial regions of such jets can be used to study the development of disturbances in submerged jets, as well as used in medicine and engineering in organizing various gasdynamic curtains which produce zones with given properties with respect to purity and composition inside another gas media.     

Reynolds number effects on the behavior of a non-buoyant round jet

The behavior of a non-buoyant circular water jet discharged from a contraction nozzle was experimentally investigated. In this experiment, the Reynolds number of the jet, based on the mean velocity results obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV), ranged from 177 to 5,142. From the experimental results, we found that the cross-sectional profile of the axial velocity for a laminar flow near the nozzle did not show a top-hat distribution, whereas the profiles with Reynolds number higher than 437 were almost top-hat. The length of the zone of flow establishment (ZFE) was found to decrease with increasing Reynolds number. The measured centerline velocity decayed more rapidly and, consequently, approached the theoretical equation earlier near the nozzle as the Reynolds number increased. The decay constant for the centerline velocity of the turbulent cases was relatively lower than that discovered in theory. It is assumed that this probably resulted from the use of the contraction nozzle. Verifying the similarity of the lateral velocity profiles demonstrated that the Gaussian curve was properly approximated only for the turbulent jets and not for the laminar or transitional flows. The jet half width seldom grew for the laminar or transitional flows, whereas it grew with increasing axial distance for the turbulent flows. The spreading rates for the turbulent flows gradually decreased with increasing Reynolds number. The normalized turbulence intensity along the jet centerline increased more rapidly with the axial distance as the Reynolds number increased, and tended to the constant values proposed by previous investigators. The Reynolds shear stress levels were also found to increase as the Reynolds number increased for the turbulent jets.     

Solution of general dynamic equation for nanoparticles in turbulent flow considering fluctuating coagulation

A new averaged general dynamic equation (GDE) for nanoparticles in the turbulent flow is derived by considering the combined effect of convection, Brownian diffusion, turbulent diffusion, turbulent coagulation, and fluctuating coagulation. The equation is solved with the Taylor-series expansion moment method in a turbulent pipe flow. The experiments are performed. The numerical results of particle size distribution correlate well with the experimental data. The results show that, for a turbulent nanoparticulate flow, a fluctuating coagulation term should be included in the averaged particle GDE. The larger the Schmidt number is and the lower the Reynolds number is, the smaller the value of ratio of particle diameter at the outlet to that at the inlet is. At the outlet, the particle number concentration increases from the near-wall region to the near-center region. The larger the Schmidt number is and the higher the Reynolds number is, the larger the difference in particle number concentration between the near-wall region and near-center region is. Particle polydispersity increases from the near-center region to the near-wall region. The particles with a smaller Schmidt number and the flow with a higher Reynolds number show a higher polydispersity. The degree of particle polydispersity is higher considering fluctuating coagulation than that without considering fluctuating coagulation.     

Effectiveness distribution measurements for a row of heated circular jets impinging on a cylindrical convex surface at different inclinations

The spatially resolved effectiveness distributions for a single jet and row of circular jets impinging on a convex surface are reported in the present study. The impinging surface was inclined at 0°, 15°, 30° and 45° to the jet axis. Studies were conducted for a single curvature ratio equal to 0.05 at a constant Reynolds number equal to 40,000 for non-dimensional jet-to-target distances, L/d equal to 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Two non-dimensional jet-to-jet spacings, S/d, equal to 4 and 8 were studied. The effectiveness distribution for multiple jet impingement was noticed to be different from that for a single jet impingement. The entrainment from the surrounding was mitigated for the inner jets by the outer jets. The interaction of adjacent walljets forms a ‘barrier’ against the percolation of entrained ambient from the outer jet region towards the inner region. The zone of walljet interaction and region near to the inner jets were therefore observed to result in high effectiveness values. The inclined impingement of the jet reduces the strength of interaction of the walljets on up and downhill sides and thereby reduces the ‘barrier effect’ against the entrainment of ambient, which causes similar variation of effectiveness for all the jets in a row at high inclinations.     

UV-mediated coalescence and mixing of inkjet printed drops

In the present study, the characteristics of supersonic rectangular microjets are investigated experimentally using molecular tagging velocimetry. The jets are discharged from a convergent–divergent rectangular nozzle whose exit height is 500 μm. The jet Mach number is set to 2.0 for all tested jets, and the Reynolds number Re is altered from 154 to 5,560 by changing the stagnation pressure. The experimental results reveal that jet velocity decays principally due to abrupt jet spreading caused by jet instability for relatively high Reynolds numbers (Re > ~450). The results also reveal that the jet rapidly decelerates to a subsonic speed near the nozzle exit for a low Reynolds number (Re = 154), although the jet does not spread abruptly; i.e., a transition in velocity decay processes occurs as the Reynolds number decreases. A supersonic core length is estimated from the streamwise distribution of the centerline velocity, and the length is then normalized by the nozzle exit height and plotted against the Reynolds number. As a result, it is found that the normalized supersonic core length attains a maximum value at a certain Reynolds number near which the transition in the velocity decay process occurs.     

Effect of jet-to-plate spacing in laminar array jets impinging

The rate of heat transfer from a plate due to impinging of an array of jets was investigated. The effect of jet-to-plate spacing in a confined array of impinging laminar square jets was investigated numerically through the solution of Navier Stokes and energy equations. The simulation is carried out for the jet-to-plate spacing between 2 B and 20 B and for jet-to-jet spacing of 4 B, where B is the jet width. Five in-line jets subjected to across-flow were used in this investigation. Also, six different ratios of jet to cross-flow velocity are simulated (0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10) for the jet Reynolds number of 200. The predicted results show a formation of one or two ground horseshoe vortices between the jets. In addition, a horseshoe vortex forms at different position between the orifice and impinging plates due to the interaction of two jets before they combine. The number of the ground horseshoe vortex and its size are strongly affected by the jet-to-plate spacing and by jet to cross-flow velocity ratio. The effect of jet-to-plate spacing and jet to cross-flow velocity ratio on heat transfer is presented and discussed.     

Turbulence measurements in a rectangular mesoscale confined impinging jets reactor

Mesoscale chemical reactors capable of operating in the turbulent flow regime, such as confined impinging jets reactors (CIJR), offer many advantages for rapid chemical processing at the microscale. One application where these reactors are used is flash nanoprecipitation, a method for producing functional nanoparticles. Because these reactors often operate in a flow regime just beyond transition to turbulence, modeling flows in these reactors can be problematic. Moreover, validation of computational fluid dynamics models requires detailed and accurate experimental data, the availability of which has been very limited for turbulent microscale flows. In this work, microscopic particle image velocimetry (microPIV) was performed in a mesoscale CIJR at inlet jet Reynolds numbers of 200, 1,000, and 1,500. Pointwise and spacial turbulence statistics were calculated from the microPIV data. The flow was observed to be laminar and steady in the entire reactor at a Reynolds number of 200. However, at jets Reynolds numbers of 1,000 and 1,500, instabilities as a result of the jets impinging along the centerline of the reactor lead to a highly turbulent impingement region. The peak magnitude of the normalized Reynolds normal and shear stresses within this region were approximately the same for the Reynolds numbers of 1,000 and 1,500. The Reynolds shear stress was found to exhibit a butterfly shape, consistent with a flow field dominated by an oblique rocking of the impingement zone about the center of the reactor. Finally, the spatial auto- and cross-correlations velocity fluctuations were calculated and analyzed to obtain an understanding of size of the coherent structures.     

Laboratory experiments of a jet impinging on a stratified interface

 The entrainment rates of vertical and inclined jets impinging on a stratified interface are measured in water tank experiments. At moderate Richardson number, the entrainment rate of the vertical jet is proportional to Ri ^-1/2, independent of Reynolds number. The inclined jets are tilted at 15° from the vertical. In one case, the jet nozzle is rotated about a vertical axis, so that the inclined jet precesses, while in the other, it is stationary. The inclined jets entrain at a rate proportional to Ri ^-3/2, whether precessing or not. This behavior is consistent with a new model of stratified entrainment which accounts for vortex persistence. Received: 15 October 1996/Accepted: 19 December 1996     

The near-field characteristics of circular jets at low Reynolds numbers

An experimental study has been undertaken to investigate the effect of Reynolds number on the near-field region of circular turbulent air jets. Measurements were made using a two-component Laser Doppler Anemometer, and included mean velocity, turbulence intensity, skewness factor, flatness factors and power spectrum. Measurements were taken up to 10 nozzle exit diameter in the downstream direction for different exit Reynolds numbers in the range of 1400 to 20000. The Reynolds number was found to have a strong effect on the jet flow behavior in the near-field region; the centerline velocity decays faster (decay constant = 6.11 for Re = 19400, = 1.35 for Re 1430) and the potential core gets shorter with decreasing Reynolds number. Profile measurements of the skewness and flatness factors indicate that the jet flow becomes more intermittent with decreasing Reynolds number. Power spectrum measurements of the streamwise fluctuating velocities reflects the high energy content of the high Reynolds number jet. It also reveals that there is greater energy at the higher frequencies with increasing Reynolds number.     

Color schlieren deflectometry study of jet mixing: effect of buoyancy and perforation

Mixing of jets is crucial for optimal performance of many industrial applications and there is a need to optimize both nozzle geometry and flow conditions. The present study reports the influence of buoyancy and perforation on mixing between a jet and its environment. Optical techniques are ideal for the study of jet mixing due to their non-intrusive and inertia free properties. The present study gives an account of mixing between helium jet and the ambient fluid using a combination of color schlieren deflectometry and radial tomographic mathematics. Four different perforation sizes have been used and the experiments are performed for Reynolds numbers 21–676 and Richardson numbers 3.27–0.0015. Color schlieren images show distinct influence of perforation and flow conditions (Richardson number). Oxygen concentration and jet width quantify effectiveness of jet mixing. Buoyancy plays an important role in mixing at high Richardson number. Perforation improves jet mixing i.e. there is about 120% increase in jet width and the size of perforation plays an important role.     

Effects of acoustic excitation at resonance Strouhal numbers on characteristics of an elevated transverse jet

The effects of acoustic excitation on the flow behavior, penetration, and spread of the stack-issued and wall-issued transverse jets were studied experimentally. The jet flow was periodically excited by a loudspeaker that was driven with a square wave at resonance Strouhal numbers. The pulsed transverse jet was characterized by jet Reynolds number 2000. Streak pictures of the smoke flow patterns illuminated by the laser-light sheet in the median plane were recorded with a high-speed digital camera to illustrate the evolution process of the characteristic flow behavior within one excitation cycle. The binary edge-detection technique was used to determine penetration height and spread width. The tracer-gas concentration measurement provided jet dispersion information. The evolution processes of both the stack-issued and wall-issued transverse jets were characterized by a leading vortex ring and swing motion of the jet column near the jet exit as the jets were forced at resonance Strouhal numbers. A leading vortex ring appeared near the jet exit during the leading phase of excitation cycle and evolved subsequently to puffs of jet fluids in the upwind shear layer of the deflected jet. The swinging motion of the near-tube tip jet column induced up/down oscillation of the deflected jet. The excited stack-issued transverse jet exhibited significantly larger penetration height and spread width than the excited wall-issued transverse jet. The tracer-gas detection experiment results showed that the excited transverse jet disperses significantly faster and wider than the non-excited transverse jet. Pulsating the transverse jet at low resonance Strouhal numbers produced higher mixing and dispersion effects than pulsating the transverse jet at high resonance Strouhal numbers.     

Experiments on elongational flow of dilute polymer solutions Part I: Jet reaction and excess pressure drop for the flow through small apertures

Experiments have been made with dilute polymer solutions on the reaction of jets issuing from small orifices and the excess pressure drop for orifice and capillary flows.Under the flow conditions with vortices occurring upstream of the aperture, the jet reaction is nearly zero below some mean velocity for PEO solutions and similarly zero below some generalized Reynolds number for Separan solutions. The normalized jet reactions, when they possess positive values, are correlated with the generalized Reynolds number irrespective of the aperture diameters for both kinds of solution.In most cases, the pressure is higher than in the corresponding water flow, but for some flows with no vortex it is lower. For the vortex flow of PEO solutions the normalized excess pressure drop is inversely proportional to the Reynolds number for both orifices and capillaries, while for Separan solutions this quantity is not correlated with the generalized Reynolds number for orifice flow but is correlated with it for capillary flow.     

The effect of buoyancy on flow fluctuations for horizontal plane jets in low speed applications

Low speed jets have important applications in chemical process, power and aerospace industries. Velocity fluctuations in low speed laminar jets have been investigated experimentally and theoretically, in the present work. The effects of buoyancy on the mean and fluctuating components of velocity have been highlighted. It is observed that even for forced convection dominated flow, convective instabilities and the resulting local velocity fluctuations are significantly influenced by buoyancy. Both the dominant frequency and the amplitude of velocity fluctuations depend on the jet exit temperature and spatial location within the jet. For isothermal jets, the dominant frequency of oscillation increases almost linearly with Reynolds number, while for buoyant jets nonlinearity exists at lower Reynolds numbers. Numerical simulations of the present study are found to be reasonably successful in predicting the oscillatory behavior of both isothermal and non-isothermal laminar free jets accurately.