Formation of liquid chain by collision of two laminar jets

Abstract

The collision of liquid jets and formation of a sheet in the median plane are illustrated numerically. The sheet subsequently transforms into a chain-like fluidic structure with successive dwarf links in mutually orthogonal planes. To understand the behavior of fluid parcels inside the chain, flow kinematics are studied with streamlines and a self-similar velocity profile. For the generalization of chain profiles over a wide range of operating parameters, a correlation has been proposed based on numerical simulations and subsequent regression analyses. Citing the analogy between the impact of jets for the formation of elemental links and traversal of non-deformable fluid quanta after the collision, an attempt has been made to understand the fundamental physics of this phenomenon through force balance. The analogy helps us to take into account the role of surface tension and other forces on the shape and size of the liquid sheets. Further, the formation of higher order links is proposed as equivalent to the collision between the liquid rims bounding the sheet, modeled as the jets of reduced strengths and smaller impingement angles. Finally, we assess the effects of various fluid properties on the dimensions of these links, illustrating the viscous dissipation at the time of collisions.