An injector, ejector, steam ejector, steam injector, eductor-jet

pump or thermocompressoris a type of pump that uses the Venturi effect of

a converging-diverging nozzle to convert thepressure energy of a motive fluid
to velocity energy which creates a low pressure zone that draws in and entrains a
suction fluid. After passing through the throat of the injector, the mixed fluid
expands and the velocity is reduced which results in recompressing the mixed
fluids by converting velocity energy back into pressure energy. The motive fluid
may be a liquid, steam or any other gas. The entrained suction fluid may be a
gas, a liquid, a slurry, or a dust-laden gas stream. [1][2]
The adjacent diagram depicts a typical modern ejector. It consists of a motive
fluid inlet nozzle and a converging-diverging outlet nozzle. Water, air, steam, or
any other fluid at high pressure provides the motive force at the inlet.
The Venturi effect, a particular case of Bernoulli's principle, applies to the
operation of this device. Fluid under high pressure is converted into a highvelocity jet at the throat of the convergent-divergent nozzle which creates a low
pressure at that point. The low pressure draws the suction fluid into the
convergent-divergent nozzle where it mixes with the motive fluid.
In essence, the pressure energy of the inlet motive fluid is converted to kinetic
energy in the form of velocity head at the throat of the convergent-divergent
nozzle. As the mixed fluid then expands in the divergent diffuser, the kinetic
energy is converted back to pressure energy at the diffuser outlet in accordance
with Bernoulli's principle.Steam locomotives use injectors to pump water into the
steam-producing boiler and some of the steam is used as the injector's motive
fluid. Such "steam injectors" take advantage of the latent heat released by the
resulting condensation of the motive steam.
Depending on the specific application, an injector takes the form of an eductor-jet
pump, a water eductor, a vacuum ejector, a steam-jet ejector, or an aspirator.

Vacuum ejectors[edit]
An additional use for the injector technology was in vacuum ejectors
in continuous train braking systems, which were made compulsory in the UK by
the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. A vacuum ejector uses steam pressure to

draw air out of the vacuum pipe and reservoirs of continuous train brake. Steam
locomotives, with a ready source of steam, found ejector technology ideal with its
rugged simplicity and lack of moving parts. A steam locomotive usually has two
ejectors: a large ejector for releasing the brakes when stationary and a small
ejector for maintaining the vacuum against leaks. The small ejector is sometimes
replaced by a reciprocating pump driven from the crosshead because this is more
economical of steam.
Vacuum brakes have been superseded by air brakes in modern trains, which use
pumps, as diesel and electric locomotives no longer have a suitable working fluid
for vacuum ejectors.

Earlier application of the principle[edit]

An empirical application of the principle was in widespread use on steam
locomotives before its formal development as the injector, in the form of the
arrangement of the blastpipe and chimney in the locomotive smokebox. The
sketch on the right shows a cross section through a smokebox, rotated 90
degrees; it can be seen that the same components are present, albeit differently
named, as in the generic diagram of an injector at the top of the article. Exhaust
steam from the cylinders is directed through a nozzle on the end of the blastpipe,
to create a negative pressure inside the smokebox and entrain the flue gases
from the boiler which are then ejected via the chimney. The effect is to increase
the draught on the fire to a degree proportional to the rate of steam consumption,
so that as more steam is used, more heat is generated from the fire and steam
production is also increased. The effect was first noted by Richard Trevithick and
subsequently developed empirically by the early locomotive
engineers; Stephenson's Rocket made use of it, and this constitutes much of the
reason for its notably improved performance in comparison with contemporary
machines.