CFD investigation of air-oil two-phase flow in oil jet nozzle

Abstract

In aero-engines applications, nozzle geometric parameters have major effects on the lubricating oil to accurately reach target gears or bearings. To investigate the deviation phenomenon of oil jet flow in the lubrication system, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique integrating with the volume of fluid (VOF) method and SST k- ω turbulence model is adopted to deeply understand the flow characteristics of the nozzle. By leveraging this method, the relationship between nozzle geometry, inlet pressure, jet velocity, and jet deviation are firstly analyzed. The results reveal that a higher average velocity and smaller jet deviation can be determined via adjusting the nozzle geometry. Furthermore, a specific test rig, composed of an oil supply system, target system and data collection system, is set up for oil injection test; experimental outlet velocity and mass flow rate of oil passing through the hole on the target plate are monitored and recorded. The experimental findings compare well with numerical results obtained by the CFD method.