Laminar jet contraction and velocity distribution in immiscible liquid-liquid systems

The flow behavior of a Newtonian liquid jet injected vertically into an immiscible Newtonian liquid phase is analyzed. Boundary-layer type approximations are used to simplify the general equations, and an approximate momentum-integral type numerical solution is obtained. This solution predicts the velocity distribution in each phase and the jet radius. The effects on jet behavior of the five dimensionless groups needed to characterize the gravitational, interfacial tension and viscous forces are shown. In particular the importance of the continuous phase viscosity is demonstrated. Experimental measurements of jet radius confirm the essential features of the analysis and illustrate the shortcomings of the approximate solution.