Abstract: The flow instability of nanofluids in a jet is studied numerically under various shape factors of the velocity profile, Reynolds numbers, nanoparticle mass loadings, Knudsen numbers, and Stokes numbers. The numerical results are compared with the available theoretical results for validation. The results show that the presence of nanoparticles enhances the flow stability, and there exists a critical particle mass loading beyond which the flow is stable. As the shape factor of the velocity profile and the Reynolds number increase, the flow becomes more unstable. However, the flow becomes more stable with the increase of the particle mass loading. The wavenumber corresponding to the maximum of wave amplification becomes large with the increase of the shape factor of the velocity profile, and with the decrease of the particle mass loading and the Reynolds number. The variations of wave amplification with the Stokes number and the Knudsen number are not monotonic increasing or decreasing, and there exists a critical Stokes number and a Knudsen number with which the flow is relatively stable and most unstable, respectively, when other parameters remain unchanged. The perturbation with the first azimuthal mode makes the flow unstable more easily than that with the axisymmetric azimuthal mode. The wavenumbers corresponding to the maximum of wave amplification are more concentrated for the perturbation with the axisymmetric azimuthal mode.

Key words: Stokes number, Knudsen number, nanoparticle-laden jet flow, hydrodynamic instability, particle mass loading