Numerical solution of the two‐phase expansion of a metastable flashing liquid jet using the dispersion‐controlled dissipative scheme

This paper presents a study of the stationary phenomenon of superheated or metastable liquid jets, flashing into a two‐dimensional axisymmetric domain, while in the two‐phase region. In general, the phenomenon starts off when a high‐pressure, high‐temperature liquid jet emerges from a small nozzle or orifice expanding into a low‐pressure chamber, below its saturation pressure taken at the injection temperature. As the process evolves, crossing the saturation curve, one observes that the fluid remains in the liquid phase reaching a superheated condition. Then, the liquid undergoes an abrupt phase change by means of an oblique evaporation wave. Across this phase change the superheated liquid becomes a two‐phase high‐speed mixture in various directions, expanding to supersonic velocities. In order to reach the downstream pressure, the supersonic fluid continues to expand, crossing a complex bow shock wave. The balance equations that govern the phenomenon are mass conservation, momentum conservation, and energy conservation, plus an equation‐of‐state for the substance. A false‐transient model is implemented using the shock capturing scheme: dispersion‐controlled dissipative (DCD), which was used to calculate the flow conditions as the steady‐state condition is reached. Numerical results with computational code DCD‐2D v1 have been analyzed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.