Experiment 3:

Studies on Circular Free Jets

G16
Prashil Khare∗ Aryan Kishor Godse†∗ Abdullah Thoaha Yaseen‡∗

Wankhedkar Jetkumar Pramod§∗

In this experiment, we look into the flow properties of a nozzle-generated circular free
jet. We conduct a characteristic study by measuring the velocity profile and mass flow
rate across the free stream because the variation of pressure and velocity in a circular
free jet is very intricate and no analytical solution can be obtained to get a clear pattern
of pressure or velocity variation. Both the radial and axial velocities of the flow can be
determined by calculating the pressure differences from the readings acquired from the
inclined manometer and pitot tube. A section’s velocity profile reveals a radial velocity
drop for the axial velocity.

Nomenclature
R Specific gas constant
ν Kinematic viscosity
µ Viscosity of air
Re Reynolds number
Patm Atmospheric Pressure
Tatm Atmospheric Temperature
H Manometer reading
V∞ Free stream Velocity

I. Introduction
Jet is a free shear layer which is generated by a pressure difference across a nozzle/ orifice/ pipe. A
shear layer is formed in the interface between the jet and the surrounding flow due to the velocity difference
between them. The surrounding flow may be at rest or have some velocity. Our approach involves the
systematic measurement of static and stagnation pressure along the axial as well as radial direction of the
jet. By employing these pressure measurements, we can deduce the velocities at different locations in the
flow. The objective of the experiment is to understand the free shear layer characteristics by studying the
velocity distribution and jet spread in a low speed circular jet.

II. Theory
When fluid flows out from a nozzle or an opening and enters an unobstructed expanse, the flow particles
being concentrates and at a higher pressure, are accelerated compared to the surrounding medium, this
∗ SC21B064
† SC21B081
‡ SC21B071
§ SC20B064

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forms a free jet. The jet grows outward from its centre and along its centreline in the axial direction. It is
modelled approximately as point source of momentum and shear effects at the boundary are ignored. But
since the velocity at exit is very large relative to the surrounding air velocity, a new phenomena called as
’Entrainment’ is observed, which means that as jet stream moves along the axial direction, it sucks the air
molecules in its vicinity to flow along with it in the axial direction while expanding linearly in the radial
direction. This happens due to the shear effects at the jet and normal air interface. There is high velocity
gradient which leads to the discontinuity in the velocity at the point and so boundary layer starts developing
and ultimately sucking air form the surrounding into the main jet stream. As the jet moves moves forward
along the axial direction its velocity reduces asymptotically to zero due to dissipation into the surrounding
and we also observe a region called ”potential core” where jet behaves ideally, but that region also narrows
down quickly. This leads to the added mass flow rate into the system and make theoretical calculation to
vary largely from the experimental calculations.

III. Experimental Setup

A. Wind Tunnel and Nozzle Configuration:
• The blower-type wind tunnel is selected as the experimental setup.
• Air flows through a nozzle with an exit diameter of 10 mm.

B. Wind Tunnel and Nozzle Configuration:

• The pitot tube is positioned precisely at the center of the nozzle exit plane.
• It is mounted on a three-axis translation stand, facilitating free movement on all the axes.

C. Multi-Tube Manometer Setup:

• A multi-tube manometer is utilized to measure pressure differences.
• The manometer is arranged at a 30 degree inclination to ensure accurate measurements.

IV. Procedure:
1. Before beginning the experiment, check the water level in all the manometer tubes, the water level
should be equal for all the tubes at the start. Keep the lid of the manometer liquid bottle open and
lift the bottle to check if the manometers are responding. The liquid used here is Ethanol. During
the experiment the lid should be kept open to compare the pressure with the atmosphere and not the
vapour pressure of the bottle in the case if the lid is closed. We configure the traverse in such way that
the pitot tube opening attached to the traverse coincides with the centre of the nozzle opening. For
our experiment we have to set the coordinates to X= 9.5 mm , Y=187.5 mm and Z=59.5 mm.
2. Determining the velocity in the radial direction of the free jet. The RPM of the wind tunnel is set to
1545. After aligning the pitot tube with the centre of the nozzle, the pitot tube is moved in z direction
in steps of 1 mm by adjusting the coordinates on the traverse knob. The readings are taken till we get
zero pressure difference on the inclined manometer tube i.e the pressure is equal to the atmospheric
pressure at that point. Once we observe no pressure difference, pitot tube is again brought to the axis
of the free jet and the process of taking the readings in the radial direction by moving the traverse
in the x direction for steps of 0.1D, 3D and 6D (D= Diameter of the nozzle =10 mm).The velocity is
then calculated from the pressure readings taken from the inclined manometer.

3. Determining the velocity in the axial direction. The RPM of the wind tunnel is set 1545. The pitot
tube is aligned with the centre of the nozzle opening. The reading of the manometer is taken. The
process is repeated for 200 reading for steps of 1 MM along the axis of the jet in the x direction while
the y and z coordinates remain unchanged. From the pressure readings taken the velocity gradient
along the axis of the jet is obtained.

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 V. Experimental Data

Pressure Readings in radial direction at 0.1D

z P1 P2 P3
0 3.1 3.1 3.2
1 3.1 3.1 3.2
2 3.2 3.1 3.2
3 3.4 3.1 3.2
4 3.8 3.1 3.2
5 24.3 3.1 3.2
6 25.6 3.1 3.2
7 25.6 3.1 3.2
8 25.6 3.1 3.2
9 25.6 3.1 3.2
10 25.6 3.1 3.2

Pressure Readings in radial direction at 3D

z P1 P2 P3
0 3.3 3.1 3.2
1 3.3 3.1 3.2
2 3.4 3.1 3.2
3 4.9 3.1 3.2
4 8.8 3.1 3.2
5 13.4 3.1 3.2
6 18.9 3.1 3.2
7 22.4 3.1 3.2
8 23.9 3.1 3.2
9 25.0 3.1 3.2
10 25.4 3.1 3.2
11 25.6 3.1 3.2
12 25.6 3.1 3.2
13 25.6 3.1 3.2
14 25.6 3.1 3.2

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 Pressure Readings in radial direction at 6D

z P1 P2 P3
0 9.6 3.1 3.2
1 9.7 3.1 3.2
2 9.8 3.1 3.2
3 9.9 3.1 3.2
4 12.1 3.1 3.2
5 14.5 3.1 3.2
6 18.8 3.1 3.2
7 19.4 3.1 3.2
8 21.1 3.1 3.2
9 22.3 3.1 3.2
10 23.5 3.1 3.2
11 24.2 3.1 3.2
12 24.9 3.1 3.2
13 25.2 3.1 3.2
14 25.4 3.1 3.2
15 25.5 3.1 3.2
16 25.5 3.1 3.2
17 25.6 3.1 3.2
18 25.6 3.1 3.2

hi

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Pressure Readings in the axial direction

z h2 h3 h4
1 3.1 3.1 3.1
2 3.1 3.1 3.1
3 3.1 3.1 3.1
4 3.1 3.0 3.1
5 3.1 3.0 3.1
6 3.1 3.0 3.1
7 3.1 3.1 3.1
8 3.1 3.1 3.1
9 3.1 3.1 3.1
10 3.1 3.1 3.1
11 3.1 3.1 3.2
12 3.1 3.1 3.1
13 3.2 3.1 3.2
14 3.2 3.2 3.2
15 3.2 3.2 3.2
16 3.2 3.2 3.2
17 3.2 3.2 3.2
18 3.2 3.2 3.2
19 3.2 3.1 3.2
20 3.2 3.2 3.2
21 3.2 3.2 3.2
22 3.2 3.2 3.2
23 3.2 3.2 3.2
24 3.2 3.1 3.2
25 3.2 3.2 3.2
26 3.2 3.1 3.2
27 3.2 3.1 3.2
28 3.2 3.1 3.2
29 3.2 3.1 3.2
30 3.3 3.1 3.2
31 3.3 3.1 3.2
32 3.4 3.2 3.3
33 3.4 3.1 3.2
34 3.4 3.2 3.2
35 3.5 3.1 3.2
36 3.6 3.1 3.2
37 3.7 3.1 3.2
38 3.8 3.1 3.2
39 4.0 3.1 3.2
40 4.1 3.1 3.2

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41 4.3 3.1 3.2
42 4.5 3.1 3.2
43 4.7 3.1 3.2
44 4.9 3.1 3.2
45 5.1 3.1 3.2
46 5.2 3.1 3.2
47 5.5 3.1 3.2
48 5.8 3.1 3.2
49 6.0 3.1 3.2
50 6.3 3.1 3.2
55 7.4 3.1 3.2
60 9.2 3.1 3.2
65 10.8 3.1 3.2
70 12.1 3.1 3.2
75 13.3 3.1 3.2
80 14.3 3.1 3.2
85 15.5 3.1 3.2
90 16.5 3.1 3.2
95 17.6 3.1 3.2
100 18.1 3.1 3.2
105 18.9 3.1 3.2
110 19.5 3.1 3.2
115 20.0 3.1 3.2
120 20.4 3.1 3.2
125 20.8 3.1 3.2
130 21.4 3.1 3.2
135 21.5 3.1 3.2
140 22.1 3.1 3.2
145 22.1 3.1 3.2
150 22.2 3.1 3.2
155 22.3 3.1 3.2
160 22.9 3.1 3.2
165 22.9 3.1 3.2
170 23.0 3.1 3.2
175 23.2 3.1 3.2
180 23.5 3.1 3.2
185 23.5 3.1 3.2
190 23.5 3.1 3.2
195 23.7 3.1 3.2
200 24.0 3.1 3.2

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 VI. Results
From the pressure readings taken the velocity gradient along the axis and radially of the jet is obtained
and the results are plotted as follows.

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 VII. Discussion
The aim of this study is to examine the velocity profiles and shear layer of the free jet using the stag-
nation pressure distribution measured with a pitot tube. It is anticipated that the pressure readings in the
experiment room may have varied slightly due to the surrounding disturbances such as wind and ceiling fan.
As a basic evaluation, the axial and radial velocity profiles and flow characteristics like shear layer and jet
boundary are expected to follow the general trend. The results satisfy the general trend of the characteristics
quite well. The reattachment point was found out to be xxmm away from the center of the nozzle exit. The
jet boundary is around xxmm radially from the centerline at xxmm axial location. These figures will provide
us with insight about the free jet

VIII. Conclusion
The basic characteristics and velocity profiles of the flow were calculated and plotted. Few flow parameters
like reattachment point, jet boundary, shear layer boundary, etc. were found.

Appendix A: Sample Calculation

3
Density of ethanol, ρethanol = 789 kg/m
2
Gravity, g = 9.81 m/s
Specific gas constant, R = 287 J/(kgK)
Diameter, d = 10mm
Barometer Reading, HHg = 750 mmof Hg
Atmospheric pressure, Patm = 750 5
760 × 1.01325 × 10 P a = 99991.77P a
◦
Room temperature, T = 30 C = 303.15 K
Viscosity of air at 30◦ C, µ = 1.872 × 10−5 kg/m − s
3
Density of air, ρ = PR·T
atm
= 1.1500 kg/m

Velocity at the nozzle exit:

The total pressure in the jet will be equal to the atmospheric pressure.
Stagnation pressure measured by pitot tube when x = 0, is calculated using the reference height given in
one of the columns as, href = 25.6cm of Ethanol. The static pressure at the exit corresponds to the height
h = 2.5cm of Ethanol.
From Bernoulli’s equation,
1 1
p1 + ρair v12 = p2 + ρair v22
2 2
Here,p1 = pstatic and for Pitot tube, v2 = 0 then p2 = pstag
Now,
1
ρair v12 = ρethanol · g · (href − h) · sin(30◦ )
2
1
× 1.15v12 = 789 × 9.81 × (25.6 − 2.5) × 10−2 × 0.5
2
r
2 × 648.056
v1 =
1.15
vexit = 39.43m/s

Then the Reynolds number at the exit is given as,

ρair · vexit · d
Re = = 24222.489
µ

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 Mass Flux along the jet axis

Non dimensional velocity in radial direction is calculated as:

r
V hamb − hstag
=
Vcentre hamb − hcentre
Non dimensional velocity in axial direction is calculated as:
r
V hamb − hstag
=
Vexit hamb − h0mm
Mass flux at center line:
ṁ = ρair V
At 4mm distance,
For x = 0.1D = 1 mm, Non dimensional velocity = 0.942461282, ṁ = 37.67127547 ∗ 1.15 = 43.32 kgm2 /s
For x = 3D = 30 mm, Non dimensional velocity = 0.827351221, ṁ = 33.07019219 ∗ 1.15 = 38.031 kgm2 /s
For x = 6D = 60 mm, Non dimensional velocity = 0.741655387, ṁ = 29.64482987 ∗ 1.15 = 34.091 kgm2 /s

Appendix B: Error Analysis

For a general physical quantity F which depends on parameters x and y,
q
εF = ε2Fsystematic + ε2Frandom
q
εFsystematic = ε2F,xsystematic + ε2F,ysystematic

∂F
εF,xsystematic =
δxεsystematic
∂x
A uniform random error of 1 percent could be assumed in all measurements. The total error includes both
systematic and random error, known errors in measurements are given in the table below.

Parameter (x) Systematic error (δxϵsystematic )

Length (axial) 0.1 mm
Temperature 0.5◦
Time 0.2 s
Height 2 mm

The average value and standard deviation of errors in velocity (v), Reynolds number (Re), and the mass
flow rate (m) is calculated using Excel. These average values are given in the Table below:

Mean Standard deviation

ϵv 0.891208596 m/ s 0.374762899 m/s
ϵRe 547.4839129 230.2229347
ϵm 1.01811 × 10−7 kg/s 1.46077 × 10−8 kg/s

IX. References
Fluid Mechanics – Fundamentals and Applications by Yunus A. Cengel, John M. Cimbala

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