wrote in message
ups.com...
What was special about this fountain was the amazing appearance of the
water jets. The water projected from rim of the circular fountain
towards the center in streams about 3/4 of an inch in diameter, arcing
up at about a 45 degree angle. There were perhaps a 16 of these arced
streams around the circle, but what was special about them was their
perfectly round shape, that was never disturbed or distorted as the
streams arced into the pond. At their largest, the arc was perhaps six
feet high and shot six feet in distance. (The streams changed
constantly in some computer programmed pattern.) Normally, water under
enough pressure to "shoot" that far will be turbulent to some degree -
The stream will break up and distort to at least some degree. But in
this fountain, the streams of water never varied in diamter, never
changed shape, had no air entrained in them, the streams never broke or
changed shape in the slightest from the point where the water exited
the nozzle until it impacted the pond. How do they do that? It was
lovely to see. Is it an additive in the water to increase surfact
tension? (It almost looked like viscous oil, but I touched a stream
and it sure felt like ordinary water.) My step-son thinks it is a
matter of the shape and polish of the nozzle.



The shape of the nozzle and the water pressure affects the spray pattern,
commercial nozzles come in almost every imaginable fan or stream pattern.
Behind each nozzle is a computer controlled valve. that opens and closes the
valve based on a choreographed program. Hidden behind the scenes is a high
volume pump.

You could reasonably afford to buy and use the jumping jet nozzles, but the
pump and computer controller is probably out of your budget. But if you're
curious, check out this website.

http://oase-usa.com/ft/custom_fountain_nozzles.htm

-S