Effects of velocity ratio on dynamics of sand-water coaxial jets

Abstract

Detailed laboratory experiments were performed to study the dynamics and mixing properties of vertically discharged sand-water coaxial jets in stagnant water. The effects of velocity ratio on the fluid dynamics of two-phase coaxial jets were studied. The axial and radial distributions of sand concentration and velocity were measured with an advanced optical fiber probe (PV6), and sand concentration and velocity measurements were formulated based on flow characteristics. The experimental results demonstrated that the axial velocity and concentration decay rate along the mixing zone, a length approximately six times greater than the nozzle diameter, were independent of the velocity ratio, Ru. Beyond the initial mixing zone, the axial decay rate of sand concentration increased with increasing velocity ratio and became similar to the concentration decay rate of slurry jets. The axial velocity decay of sand-water coaxial jets indicated an inverse relationship with velocity ratio: velocity decay rates decreased with increasing Ru. Experimental observations of sand-water coaxial jets showed that the spreading rate of coaxial jets decreased with increasing velocity ratio; for the coaxial jet with the highest Ru, the spreading rate reached the spreading rate of slurry jets. The integral quantities of jets such as mass and momentum fluxes were calculated using sand concentration and velocity profiles. Average drag coefficients were calculated using momentum balance and proposed equations for sand velocity and concentration. The variations of drag coefficient and interparticle collision parameter indicated that the particle grouping effect reduced the drag coefficient in sand-water coaxial jets with lower velocity ratios. The axial variations of the interparticle collision parameter indicated a strong correlation with velocity ratio. The strong correlation between velocity ratio and the mixing properties of sand-water coaxial jets suggests the velocity ratio is an effective design parameter to control and optimize particle mixing in stagnant water.