Role of density ratio on particle dispersion in a turbulent jet

The behavior of dispersed particles in a turbulent round jet is experimentally investigated. The role of particle-to-fluid density ratio rho(p)/rho(f) is analyzed by inspecting particle velocity fields and preferential concentration at four different ratios, from 0.7 to 19.3. The jet near-field region, i.e., up to X/D = 11, is analyzed and compared to the unladen case. Particle-to-fluid density ratio is reported to have a strong impact on particle velocity field structure, in terms of jet transition and self-similar region as well as on turbulent fluctuations. Concentrations of particles show that increasing particle density corresponds to larger departure from uniformity. This occurrence is limited to the region X / D < 5, where also the largest differences of average and fluctuating velocities with respect to the unladen case are measured.