General review of flashing jet studies.

The major concern on the management of superheated liquids, in industrial environments, is the large potential hazards involved in cases of any accidental release. There is a possibility that a violent phase change could take place inside the fluid released generating a flashing jet. This violent phase change might produce catastrophic consequences, such as explosions, fires or toxic exposure, in the installations and in the surroundings. The knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms involved in those releases become an important issue in the prevention of these consequences and the minimization of their impact. This work presents a comprehensive review of information about flashing processes. The review begins with a description of the single phase jet followed by a description of the two-phase flashing jet. The concepts and implications of the thermodynamic and mechanical effects on the behaviour of the jets are considered at the beginning of the review. Following the review is devoted to the classification of the different study approaches used to understand flashing processes in the past, highlighting various critical parameters on the behaviour and the hazard consequences of flashing jets. The review also contains an extensive compilation of experimental, theoretical and numerical data relating to these phenomena, which includes information on the distinct characteristics of the jet, since type of jet, velocity distribution, expansion angle and mass phase change all require individual estimation.