An Air Curtain Along a Wall With High Inlet Turbulence

A downward blowing isothermal wall jet at moderate Reynolds numbers (1,500 to 8,500) with significant inflow turbulence (ca. 6%) was investigated. The flow configuration is an idealization of the air curtains of refrigerated display cases. Flow visualization using particle seeding was employed to identify the flow field eddy dynamics. Particle Image Velocimetry was used to examine the velocity fields in terms of mean and fluctuating values. These diagnostics showed that the air curtain entrainment was dominated by a large variety of eddies that engulfed ambient air into the air curtain. The velocity fields generally showed linear spreading, significant deceleration and high turbulence levels (ca. 25%). It was observed that the air curtain dynamics, velocity fields and growth were not significantly sensitive to Reynolds number variation between Re=3,800 and Re=8,500. However, at low air velocities (Re=1,500), the curtain was found to detach, leading to a large air curtain thickness and high curtain entrainment.