EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF RAREFIED-GAS FLOW-THROUGH RECTANGULAR SLITS AND NOZZLES

The flow of a rarefied gas through rectangular configuratons of differ ent geometries has been experimentally studied to determine their disc harge coefficient characteristics. The configurations used are a set o f sharp-edged slit orifices, a smooth converging nozzle and a tube. Th e range of the Reynolds number based on the throat conditions varied f rom 0.01 to 100. The equivalent Knudsen number range based on the upst ream conditions and inlet diameter varied from 0.0521 to 2.521. The re sults for the smooth nozzle are compared with calculations using a num erical method with one-dimensional stream tube approximation based on integrated boundary layer equations. The slit and the tube results are compared with the experimental results of Sreekanth and Davis [1988].