Computational Simulation and Suppression of Oscillation Caused by Vertical Planar Jet Impinging onto a Free Surface

Abstract

In recent studies, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in OpenFOAM have been used to model the oscillation of a planar jet impinging onto a free surface and analyze methods to suppress the subsequent flow characteristics. This phenomenon occurs in several industrial processes, such as dipping, and is likely to affect the quality of products, with consequent rejection, resulting from the free surface wavering induced by the jet. Therefore, to prevent this, CFD was used to analyze alternatives, lowering the higher costs of manufacturing and on-site testing solutions. The predicted flapping frequency is benchmarked against experimental data and used to perform grid independency tests and select the most appropriate Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence model. Finally, various deflector geometries, placed above the inlet jet, were tested to reduce the free surface oscillations.