Effects of Jet Inclination Angle and Geometrical Parameters on Air Curtain Performance

Tilted air jet planes are used as barriers between two environments of different temperature, humidity and quality. Entrainment of one environment Fluid (air) into the curtain by shear layer mixing contributes to both the sensible and the latent heat load on the other environment and the impingement of the air curtain formed. Perturbation of one side affects the shape of the air jet and might endanger its integrity. Protrusion present in the direction of the flow impacts the performance of the air curtain and defeats its purpose of existence. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is used to evaluate the performance of the air curtain formed by the tilted jet plane and is also validated by comparing the CFD calculations results with experimental results. Qualitative design combination of various parameters and various levels of obstruction in the direction of the flow(s) are proposed in order to achieve optimal performance of the air curtain.