PIV Study of Laminar Wall Jets of Non-Newtonian Fluids

Three-dimensional laminar wall jet flows of shear-thinning non-Newtonian fluids have been studied using a particle image velocimetry technique. The non-Newtonian fluids were prepared from xanthan gum solutions of various concentrations. The velocity measurements were performed in various streamwise-transverse and streamwise-spanwise planes at various inlet Reynolds numbers. From these measurements, the maximum velocity decay, jet half-widths, and velocity profiles were obtained to study the effects of Reynolds number and fluid type on the characteristics of the wall jet flows. It was observed that the maximum velocity decay and jet half-widths depend on inlet Reynolds number and fluid but the similarity velocities profiles are independent of both Reynolds number and specific fluid type.