Simulation of liquid micro-jet in free expanding high-speed co-flowing gas streams

Abstract

We present the development of an experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics model for liquid micro jets. Such jets are produced by focusing hydrodynamic momentum from a co-flowing sheath of gas on a liquid stream in a nozzle. The numerical model based on laminar two-phase, Newtonian, compressible Navier–Stokes equations is solved with finite volume method, where the phase interface is treated by the volume of fluid approach. A mixture model of the two-phase system is solved in axisymmetry using ~ 300,000 finite volumes, while ensuring mesh independence with the finite volumes of the size 0.25 µm in the vicinity of the jet and drops. The numerical model is evaluated by comparing jet diameters and jet lengths obtained experimentally and from scaling analysis. They are not affected by the strong temperature and viscosity changes in the focusing gas while expanding at nozzle outlet. A range of gas and liquid-operating parameters is investigated numerically to understand their influence on the jet performance. The study is performed for gas and liquid Reynolds numbers in the range 17–1222 and 110–215, and Weber numbers in the range 3–320, respectively. A reasonably good agreement between experimental and scaling results is found for the range of operating parameters never tackled before. This study provides a basis for further computational designs as well as adjustments of the operating conditions for specific liquids and gases.