Comparisons between experiment and numerical simulation using a free surface technique of free-falling liquid jets

Abstract Gravity driven jets of liquid have been studied experimentally as part of investigations into the mechanisms important to breakup of liquid jets when they impact onto a liquid pool, fall through the pool and collide with the pool base. In this paper, computer simulations of the experiments using the volume of fluid (VOF) numerical technique are reported. Very good results were obtained in the simulations at the macroscopic level when compared with isothermal experiments of impacting liquid jets. However, small-scale and dynamic jet effects such as surface stripping were not well represented in the simulations.