Flow in a viscous jet escaping through a supersonic nozzle into a semi-infinite ambient space

The problem of an axisymmetric gas flow in a supersonic nozzle and in the jet escaping from the nozzle to a quiescent gas is solved within the framework of Navier-Stokes equations. The calculated pressure distribution is compared with that measured in the jet by a Pitot tube. The influence of the jet pressure ratio, Reynolds number, and half-angle of the supersonic part of the nozzle on nozzle flow and jet flow parameters is studied. It is shown that the distributions of gas-dynamic parameters at the nozzle exit are nonuniform, which affects the jet flow. The flow pattern for an overexpanded jet shows that jet formation begins inside the nozzle because of boundary-layer displacement from the nozzle walls. This result cannot be obtained with the inviscid formulation of the problem.