Measurements of a Wall Jet Impinging Onto a Forward Facing Step

This study examines a horizontal wall jet impinging onto a forward facing vertical step in a cross-flow. Planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) experiments in a $68×40mm2$ water channel indicate how the wall-jet flow after impinging onto the step becomes a vertical jet with an elliptical cross section. This study proposes predictive empirical correlations for the aspect ratio and perimeter of the jet’s elliptical cross section based on the step geometry and the inlet flow conditions. A numerical model is also presented, which was produced from a commercial Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code with the $k-ϵ$ closure model. The experimental results were well represented by correlations for the perimeter $P$ and aspect ratio $S$ using the parameters $H$ (the step height), $L∘$ (the distance from the jet represented as a point source to the step), and $R$ (the velocity ratio). The CFD simulation was able to predict the trends in the perimeter (under different conditions), aspect ratio, and the shape of the concentration profile, but overpredicted the jet’s perimeter by approximately 50%. The results of these tests are required as input parameters when modeling jet trajectories.