Experimental study of jet structure and pressurisation upon liquid nitrogen injection into water

Abstract

The rapid phase change and heat transfer obtained by direct contact heat exchange between a cryogen and water can generate high rates of pressurisation, which is of interest to a number of applications. A visualization study of liquid nitrogen injection into water is conducted in this work, with synchronized pressure and temperature measurement, to obtain insight into this complex phenomenon. High speed imaging reveals a four-stage evolution of liquid nitrogen jet structure upon injection into water, with a thick vapour blanket forming around a liquid nitrogen core and break-up brought on predominantly through impact with the vessel wall. Maximum pressurisation rate occurs in the third stage of injection due to a combination of heat and mass transfer. Pressurisation rates in excess of 350 bar/s are recorded and found to vary proportionally with injection pressure. The scenario of gaseous nitrogen injection is also investigated, and compared with liquid nitrogen injection. A clear advantage of liquid nitrogen injection is elucidated from the point of heat transfer and pressurisation, and implications for use in a cryogenic engine are discussed.