At what speed (knots, m/s, etc.) does the air come out of a 250psi air compressor?

Question

I realise it decreases quickly with distance from the point of exit; I am looking for a speed ± 10cm from nozzle. If I split the airflow with a T-piece will the air pressure in the pipe decrease or remain 250psi in both new pipes?

Thanks and Regards

Answer 1

The highest possible attainable nozzle velocity will be what is called the "critical" velocity which is the speed of sound in the fluid. For air it is about 1080 fps. This will be the velocity exiting a critical velocity nozzle and the velocity closely downstream to it will remain  pretty much the same. Because of momentum it does not decrease quickly unless entering a more dense medium such as water. An exit nozzle with air at 250 psi entering and atmospheric discharge will be critical.

If the air has not left the nozzle and is still in the piping, splitting the flow will create some dynamic pressure loss depending on mostly the pipeline velocity. At 250 psi and properly sized pipe, the loss in a tee will be very small.

Answer 2

It depends on the size of the nozzle.