Hydrodynamics of Supersonic Steam Jets Injected into Cross-Flowing Water

Abstract

High-speed gas/vapour jets injected into a cross-moving sonic liquid signifies a vital phenomenon which bears useful applications in environmental and energy processes. In the present experimental study, a pulsating jet of supersonic steam was injected into cross-flowing water. Circulation zones of opposite vorticity owing to the interaction between the steam jet and cross-water flow were found. However, a large circulation appeared in front of the nozzle exit. Also, most small circulation regions were observed at higher water-flow rates (>2 m3/s). Among the prime mixing variables (i.e., turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and Reynolds shear stress (RSS)), the RSS estimations backed a small diffusive phenomenon within a region far from the nozzle exit. Further information extracted from the PIV images indicated the existence of Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instabilities. The counter-rotating vortex pairs (CVPs) appeared to be significant in the region close to the nozzle exit, and they exhibited leeward side folds. Moreover, the effects of the operating conditions on the pressure recovery and mixing efficiency as well as the penetration and the separation height were evaluated to determine the optimisation of the phenomenon. By applying extreme difference analysis, the mixing efficiency was found as the most influential parameter.