A study on flow through hydroentangling nozzles and their degradation

Hydroentangling is a technique for mechanically bonding loose filaments or fibers arranged in a web. The efficiency with which the web is entangled depends on the peculiar properties of laminar high-speed waterjets used. The characteristics of such waterjets strongly depend on the operating pressure and the nozzle inlet sharpness which influence the dynamics of fluid flow. In this study, we report on experiments and CFD simulations aimed at improving our knowledge of such two-phase flows. In particular, we simulate the formation and growth of the cavitation cloud inside a sharp-edge hydroentangling nozzle at pressures ranging from 10 to 200bars(5700