Experimental studies of flow through radial channels using PIV technique

In the present work a confined, submerged, laminar water jet is issued axially from a short, circular nozzle and fed radially outward through the clearance of two parallel circular discs. The disc assembly was fully submerged into the water-filled tank. Water has been used as the experimental fluid and flow diagnosis has been performed using 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. Effect of inlet flow rates, disc radius and clearance between the two parallel discs have been investigated to understand the characteristics of submerged radial flow. It is observed that the flow field consists of several interesting features like toroidal recirculation, annular separation bubble around the inlet corner and flow reattachment, which are strongly influenced by the clearance between the two parallel discs and the flow rate. The present observations reveal distinct flow structure between two parallel discs and provide insights for understanding of radial flow structure. The numerical results simulated from PIV experiments are also included in the form of vector plots and from it a close consistency between the two results is clearly visible. Graphical Abstract