Annular liquid jets and other axisymmetric free-surface flows at high Reynolds numbers

A perturbation method based on a long wavelength approximation is used to obtain the leading order equations governing the fluid dynamics of laminar, annular, round and compound liquid jets and liquid films on convex and concave cylindrical surfaces. An approximate, integral balance method is also used to determine the inviscid core and the thickness of the boundary layers of annular liquid jets near the nozzle exit. The steady state equations are transformed into parabolic ones by means of the von Mises transformation and solved in an adaptive, staggered grid to determine the axial velocity distribution and the location of the free surfaces. It is shown that, for free surface flows subject to inertia, gravity and surface tension, there is a contraction near the nozzle which increases as the Reynolds and Froude numbers are decreased, and is nearly independent of the Weber number for Weber numbers larger than about one hundred. It is also shown that this contraction depends on the flow considered, and is larger for films on convex surfaces. It is also shown that, for round jets, the acceleration of the jet's free surface is larger than that of the jet's centerline, although, sufficiently far from the nozzle exit, the axial velocity is uniform across the jet.