ノズル

ロケットエンジンのノズル

ノズルから水が噴出している様子

ノズル（Nozzle）とは、ガスや液体と言った流体の流れる方向を定めるために使用されるパイプ状の機械部品。ノズルは流れるものの流量、流速、方向、圧力と言った流体の持つ特性をコントロールするために幅広く使用される。

役割

高速度ノズル

一般に、ノズルは内部エネルギーを犠牲にする代わり、運動エネルギーを増加させる事に用いられる。

Nozzles can be described as convergent (narrowing down from a wide diameter to a smaller diameter in the direction of the flow) or divergent (expanding from a smaller diameter to a larger one). A de Laval nozzle has a convergent section followed by a divergent section and is often called a convergent-divergent nozzle.

Convergent nozzles accelerate fluids. If the nozzle pressure ratio is high enough the flow will reach sonic velocity at the narrowest point (i.e. the nozzle throat). In this situation, the nozzle is said to be choked.

Increasing the nozzle pressure ratio further will not increase the throat Mach number beyond unity. Downstream (i.e. external to the nozzle) the flow is free to expand to supersonic velocities.

Divergent nozzles slow fluids, if the flow is subsonic, but accelerate sonic or supersonic fluids.

Convergent-divergent nozzles can therefore accelerate fluids that have choked in the convergent section to supersonic speeds. This CD process is more efficient than allowing a convergent nozzle to expand supersonically externally.

Since exhaust velocity has to exceed airspeed, supersonic aircraft also very typically use a con-di nozzle despite the weight and cost penalties. Supersonic jet engines, like those employed in fighters and SST aircraft (e.g. Concorde), indeed have relatively high nozzle pressure ratios. Because subsonic jet engines require low exhaust velocities, they require only subsonic exhaust and thus have modest nozzle pressure ratios and employ simple convergent nozzles.

Rocket motors use convergent-divergent nozzles, to maximise thrust and exhaust velocity and thus extremely high nozzle pressure ratios are employed.

Note that the Mach 1 can be a very high speed for a hot gas; since heat significantly raises the speed of sound. Thus the absolute speed reached at a nozzle throat can be far higher than the speed of sound at sea level. This fact is used extensively in rocketry where hypersonic flows are required.

Pipe Nozzles

Pipe nozzles are typically connections to tanks or pumps. They have characteristic entrance and exit pressure losses for fluid flow and have inherent structural features with respect to the tank, pump or equipment to which they are attached. Specific characteristics of entrance and exit losses can be found in the Crane "Flow of Fluids" Technical Paper No. 410 (often referred to as the Crane 410, see link: http://www.tp410.com/). Pipe nozzles may be flanged, butt weld end, or threaded connections. They typically have a load limit (force and stress) which is calculated in a finite element analysis program such as Caesar II or ANSYS.

Magnetic nozzles

Magnetic nozzles have also been proposed for some types of propulsion, in which the flow of plasma is directed by magnetic fields instead of walls made of solid matter.

Spray nozzles

Many nozzles atomise liquids. Often this involves Venturi tubes.

These kinds of nozzles are used for spray painting, perfumes, carburettors for internal combustion engines, spray on deodorants, antiperspirants and many other uses.

Air-Aspirating Nozzle-uses an opening in the cone shaped nozzle to inject air into a stream of water based foam (CAFS/AFFF/FFFP) to make the concentrate "foam up". Most commonly found on foam extinguishers and foam handlines.

Shaping nozzles

Some nozzles are shaped to produce a stream that is of a particular shape. For example Extrusion molding is a way of producing lengths of metals or plastics or other materials with a particular cross-section. These nozzles are typically referred to as a die.

Other meanings

In some areas of Scotland, the nozzle can refer to the nose.

It can also be used as an insult meaning something between 'jerk' and 'idiot'. This use was made popular by the character Al Calavicci on the science-fiction television show Quantum Leap.

関連項目

• スプレー
• ロケット