This thesis assesses the extent to which jet precession can be used to control the mean and instantaneous particle distributions in particle-laden jet flows. Investigations were conducted, providing quantitative, planar measurements of instantaneous particle distributions in the first 10 nozzle diameters of a particle-laden co-annular nozzle with centrally located Precessing Jet (PJ). Equipment was specifically designed to conduct the investigations, a laser diagnostic technique developed and a methodology to quantify particle clusters was devised. The experimental facilities are scaled to simulate the near burner region of a typical rotary cement kiln. The laser diagnostic technique, called planar nephelometry, enables non-intrusive, quantitative, instantaneous, planar measurements of particle distributions without the need to identify individual particles. The methodology to quantify particle clusters is designed to enable statistical comparison of clusters without ambiguity. Measurements of the influence of particle mass loading and jet precession on the distribution of particles emerging from an particle-laden co-annular nozzle, with a centrally located PJ nozzle, are presented. These data include mean and standard deviation of the particle distributions and statistics on particle cluster characteristics. The results indicate that small amounts of momentum through the PJ nozzle causes an elongation of the jet, but larger amounts of momentum through the PJ nozzle will result in a wider mean particle distribution and greater mean centreline decay rate. An increase in jet precession also results in an increase in the fluctuations in the particle distributions. The transition is determined by the interplay of momentum of the particle-laden and precessing streams. The physical characteristics of identified particle clusters in the instantaneous planar flow field are also influenced by jet precession. An initial increase in the amount of jet precession results in an overall decrease in the average number of both small- and large-clusters. The size of small-clusters generally reduces with increasing jet precession, whereas large-clusters reach maximum sizes for an intermediate relative momentum of jet precession. Analogous to the influence of jet precession on the mean distribution of particles, increasing jet precession also results in a greater spread of small- and large-clusters. Results also indicate that increasing the mass flow rate of particles results in an elongation of the jet. However, these variations correspond to an increase in annular jet momentum, rather than an addition of secondary phase. The particle mass flow rate has a minor influence on the general characteristics of particle clusters. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1370427 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Mechanical Engineering, 2009

The effect of chamber length and Reynolds number on the stability and behavior of the flow field generated by a precessing jet nozzle was studied using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (StereoPIV). An algorithm was developed to determine the mode of the flow based on the distribution of axial velocity. The optimal chamber length for precession to occur was found to be between 2 and 2.75 chamber-diameters. There is no precession at a chamber length of one diameter, and the occurrence of precession was found to be strongly related to Reynolds number. Conditionally averaged velocity distributions for the flow in precessing mode were calculated. The effect of initial condition on downstream behavior of axisymmetric jets was examined. Variations in spread and decay rates were found for jets issuing from different nozzles. Self-similar solutions for axisymmetric jets are therefore not universal, and are instead dependent upon initial conditions at the source.

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