1

Notes on
1.63 Advanced Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Instructor: C. C. Mei, 2001
ccmei@mit.edu, 1 617 253 2994
December 1, 2002
3-4-lamjet.tex,
3.4 Two dimensional laminar jet
If new uid is injected at high momentum into a stationary uid of the same density, a jet is
formed. If viscosity were absent only the layer as thin as the jet nozzle would be moved. Due
to viscosity, the surounding uid is dragged along in the forward direction. When viscosity
is low the jet is a thin boundary layer within which the viscous stress is as important as the
uid inertia.
Consider a two dimensional jet from a steady source of momentum:
u
x
+ w
z
= 0 (3.4.1)
uu
x
+ wu
z
= p
x
+ (u
xx
+ u
zz
) (3.4.2)
uw
x
+ ww
z
= p
z
+ (w
xx
+ w
zz
) (3.4.3)
The inital momtum is given,
Z

u
2
dy = M (3.4.4)
In addition, we impose
u, v, 0, y (3.4.5)
Anticipating the moving layer to be thin relative to the length of the jet, we introduce the
two sharply contrasting scales to normalize the spatial coordinates and change to normalized
variables
u Uu, v

L
Uv, x Lx, z = z (3.4.6)
where U can be the centerline jet velocity yet unknown and L the distance from the nozzle.
To be brief, the normalized variables are without primes. Then
U
L
(u
x
+ w
z
) = 0 (3.4.7)
U
2
L
{uu
x
+ wu
z
} =
P
L
p
x
+
U

2
L
2
u
xx
+ u
zz
!
(3.4.8)
2
Equivalently, we have
uu
x
+ wu
z
=
P
U
2
p
x
+

UL
L
2

2
L
2
u
xx
+ u
zz
!
(3.4.9)
and

L
U
2
L
{uw
x
+ ww
z
} =
P

p
z
+
U

2
L
2
w
xx
+ w
zz
!
(3.4.10)
or

2
L
2
{uw
x
+ ww
z
} =
P
U
2
p
z
+

UL

2
L
2
w
xx
+ w
zz
!
(3.4.11)
For high Reynolds numbers,
R =
UL

1 (3.4.12)
we must have

L
= O

R
!
(3.4.13)
so that the most important viscous stress is retained to balance the eects of inertia.
From (3.4.10),
p
z
= 0 (3.4.14)
That the pressure is constant across the boundary layer is the signature property of the
boundary approximation at high Reynolds number ows.
Since the pressure gradient is zero outside the jet, we have simply
p
x
= p
x
(x, z = ) = 0 (3.4.15)
Eq (3.4.8) becomes approximately
uu
x
+ wu
z
=
1
R
u
zz
(3.4.16)
This is the boundary layer approximation for the jet mementum. Mission of approximation
now accompolshed, we return to the physical variables :
u
x
+ w
z
= 0 (3.4.17)
uu
x
+ wu
z
= u
zz
(3.4.18)
Integrating (3.4.18)
Z

(uu
x
+ wu
z
)dz =
Z

u
zz
dz (3.4.19)
By continuity
wu
z
= (wu)
z
uw
z
= (wu)
z
+ uu
x
3
After integration and using the boundary conditions that
u 0, z = (3.4.20)
the left hand side becomes

x
Z

u
2
dz = 0 (3.4.21)
thus the momentum ux is constant in x,

u
2
dz = M (3.4.22)
Comment: At the nozzle (0) 0,
u(0)
2
(0) = M
hence
u(0) = (0)
1/2
Mass ux from the nozzle is
u(0)(0) (0)
1/2
0
hence a jet is dened by its initial moemtum; the mass discharge is unimportant. A jet is
the result of a momentum source, not a mass source.
3.4.1 Similarity solution
Introducing the stream function so that
u =
z
, w =
x
(3.4.23)
The x-momentum equation becomes

xz

zz
=
zzz
(3.4.24)
with the boundary conditons that

z
0, z (3.4.25)
and

2
z
dz = M (3.4.26)
Try the transformation:
x =
a
x
0
, z =
b
z
0
, =
c

0
(3.4.27)
Requiring invariance we get from (3.4.24)
2c 2b a = c 3b, or
c
a
= 1
b
a
4
No information is gained from (3.4.24). From (3.4.25) we get
2(c b) + b = 0
hence
c =
b
2
,
c
a
= 1
2c
a
or
3c
a
= 1
implying
c = a/3, b = 2a/3 (3.4.28)
The nal tranformation is
x =
a
x
0
, z =
2a/3
z
0
, =
a/3

0
(3.4.29)
This suggests that we take

Bx
1/3
= f

Cz
x
2/3

(3.4.30)
The coecients B and C are chosen to simplify the appearance of the nal equation. Let us
take
=

2
x
2
!
1/3
z, =

Mx

!
1/3
f() (3.4.31)
then
u =
z
=

M
2

2
x
!
1/3
f
0
(), (3.4.32)
w =
x
=
1
3

M
x
2
!
1/3
(2f
0
f) (3.4.33)
From (3.4.24)
3f
000
+ (f
0
)
2
+ ff
00
= 0 (3.4.34)
The boundary conditions become
f
0
() = 0, f(0) = f
00
(0) = 0 symmetry (3.4.35)
and
M =

M
2

2
x
!
2/3
1

2
x
2

1/3
Z

[f
0
()]
2
d = M
Z

[f
0
()]
2
d
or
1 =
Z

[f
0
()]
2
d (3.4.36)
Integrating once
3f
00
+ ff
0
= constant = 0
Integrating again
3f
0
+
1
2
f
2
= c
2
5
Let
f = F

2, = 3

2 (3.4.37)
then
dF
d
+ F
2
= c
2
,
dF/c
1 F
2
/c
2
= cd
which can be integrated:
c = tanh
1
F
c
since F(0) = 0. Thus
f =

2F =

2c tanh

c
3

2
!
Using (3.4.36),
1 =
c
3

2
3
Z

sech
4
cdc =
4

2c
3
9
hence
c
3
=
9
4

2
; (3.4.38)
f() =

9
2

1/3
tanh
"

1
48

1/3

#
(3.4.39)
Finally let
=

M
48
2
!
1/3
z
x
2/3
(3.4.40)
the stream function is
=

9Mx
2
!
1/3
tanh (3.4.41)
The jet velocty components are:
u =

3M
2
32
2
x
!
1/3
sech
2
(3.4.42)
v =

M
6x
2
!
1/3
(2sech
2
tanh ) (3.4.43)
See Figure (3.4.1).
6
3.4.2 Physcial implications
The jet width can be dened by =
0
so that u 0. Then
1. Jet width x
2/3
2. Centerline velocity : U = u
max
x
1/3
,
3. v

M
6x
2

1/3
, . There is entrainment from the jet edges.
4. R = u
max
/ x
1/3
.
Figure 3.4.1: The laminar jet