Parametric study on impinging-jet liquid sheet thickness distribution using an interferometric method

The effects of several influencing parameters on the thickness distribution of a liquid sheet formed by two impinging jets are examined using a simple interferometric method which can provide sharp and clear fringe images in spite of very simple optical setup. The parameters changed in this study are the impinging angle, orifice diameter, liquid jet velocity, and liquid viscosity. The experimental results are compared with existing theoretical predictions. A larger impinging angle, smaller orifice diameter, and a higher azimuthal angle are found to result in thinner liquid sheets, although jet velocity itself does not have any effect on the sheet thickness. Higher viscosity, on the other hand, is found to yield a thicker liquid sheet, which has not been considered in the theoretical analysis so far. The theoretical models used for comparison predict the same trend as the experimental results, but the thickness values are overestimated at low azimuthal angles. This discrepancy is gradually lessened as the azimuthal angle is increased. More refined theoretical modeling that decreases this difference and includes the effect of physical properties of liquid is necessary.