Hydrodynamic properties of a turbulent confined solid–liquid jet evaluated using PIV and CFD

Particle image velocimetry is used to evaluate liquid and solid velocities and turbulence levels in the developing region of a confined solid–liquid jet. The measurements are conducted utilizing the method of matching refractive indices together with digital phase separation. The diameters of the solids are 1500μm and the maximum mean volume fractions for which measurements can be performed is 1.9%, a number estimated from image analysis. The experimental results are compared with those from numerical simulations using the mixture, dispersed and per-phase realizable k-εk-ε models together with two models for the drag force. The results show that the differences in axial velocity between the two phases are small and the axial RMS velocities generally increases with increasing volume fraction and are larger for the dispersed phase compared to the continuous phase. The numerical simulations capture the flow structure well, but generally, the continuous-phase centreline velocities are underestimated close to the inlet and overestimated further downstream. Regardless of solid loading, the per-phase turbulence model in combination with a drag force modified by a correction factor as to take into account the turbulence of the carrier phase provides the best numerical results.