Experimental study on steam plume and temperature distribution for sonic steam jet

Abstract

The sonic steam jet in subcooled water was investigated experimentally over a wide range of steam mass flux and water temperature conditions. Four different steam plume shapes were observed in present test conditions, and the condensation form was mainly controlled by the steam mass flux and water temperature. Moreover, the unstable jet was observed on the condition of low steam mass flux and high water temperature. The transition criterion of unstable-stable jet was also given. The temperature fields in the steam plume and in the surrounding water were measured. Axial temperature distributions represented the four typical steam plumes, and the fluctuation of axial temperature confirmed the existence of expansion and compression waves. Additionally, the radial temperature distributions were independent of water temperature for small radial distance at nozzle exit, and further the axial location was apart from the nozzle exit, longer the radial distance affected by the momentum diffusion.