A technique for the direct measurement of volume flux of a plume

Abstract

It is observed that an interface is established in any open-ended vertical cylinder when a plume flows in the direction of a mean flow through the cylinder. The location of the interface defines the volume flux of the plume because the total discharge in the environment has been entrained at this level. Experiments have been conducted to verify this relation and to define the limits within which the interface is established. It is found that, as the buoyancy in the plume is reduced or the area of the environment is reduced, limits do exist. An application of the interface in industrial-building ventilation is described.