%0 Journal Article
%T Water Leakage through a Small Opening
%J International Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
%@ 2169-9801
%D 2012
%I 
%R 10.5923/j.ijhe.20120104.01
%X This paper presents a numerical simulation of a pressurized water leakage through a small opening into an ambient water reservoir. A modified Euler number indicating the relative importance between the forces due to pressure difference and the viscous effect was found good enough to characterize a problem of this nature. The effect of the gap aspect (H/L) ratio was investigated too. Only when the gap aspect ratio is close to unity, the gap flow is found existent in a bi-stable mode. In contrast, the uni-stable mode is possible with the right combination of modified Euler number and gap aspect ratio. More surprisingly, there exists a threshold aspect ratio approximately unity based on this work. Below the threshold aspect ratio, the maximum velocity is only a function of the modified Euler number. However, beyond the threshold aspect ratio, the maximum velocity increases with the gap aspect ratio and the modified Euler number.
%K Leakage Flow
%K Modified Euler Number
%K Gap Aspect Ratio
%K Pressure Gradient
%U http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.ijhe.20120104.01.html