Buoyancy effects on flow transition in low-density inertial gas jets

Effects of buoyancy on transition from laminar to turbulent flow are presented for a momentum-dominated helium jet injected into ambient air. The buoyancy was varied in a 2.2 s drop tower facility without affecting the remaining operating parameters. The jet flow in Earth gravity and microgravity was visualized using the rainbow schlieren deflectometry apparatus. Results show significant changes in the flow structure and transition behavior with change of buoyancy.     

The study of self-sustained oscillating plane jet flow impinging upon a small cylinder

 Experimental studies of a plane jet impinging upon a small circular cylinder are conducted by hot-wire measurements. The cylinder is located on the jet centerline within the potential-core region. The jet–cylinder interactions on the instability shear layer frequency, the cylinder wake shedding frequency, and the induced self-sustained oscillation phenomenon are carefully investigated. Test data indicate that the self-sustained flow oscillation is mainly generated by the resonant effect of the flow between the jet exit and the cylinder. Its resonant frequency is found to vary linearly and exhibits jump-stage pattern as a function of the distance between the jet exit and the cylinder. The feedback mechanism and the hydrodynamic instability theorem are proposed to predict correctly the frequency jump position, wave number and the convection speed of the self-sustained oscillating flow for different jet exit velocities. Received: 15 July 1998/Accepted: 9 December 1998     

Visualization and structure of confined, milliscale, unsteady impinging slot jets and associated vortices

Flow characteristics of confined, laminar milliscale slot jets are investigated from visualizations, as they impinge upon a flat target plate, with a fully developed velocity profile at the nozzle exit. The effects of Reynolds number Re and normalized nozzle-to-plate distance H/B are considered for a nozzle width B of 1.0 mm. Transition from a stable symmetric jet to an unsteady oscillating jet is observed as the Reynolds number increases (with H/B constant), where the Reynolds number associated with this transition decreases as the normalized nozzle-to-plate distance H/B increases. Instantaneous visualizations show unsteady lateral distortions of jet columns at experimental conditions corresponding to the presence of continuous sinusoidal oscillations, intermittent oscillating motion of the jet column, and jet flow fluctuation/flapping motion. Also apparent in flow visualization sequences are smoke signatures associated with instantaneous vortex structures, which form as secondary flows develop in fluid which, initially, is just adjacent to and within the jet column. Associated jet and vortex structural changes are described as different modes of unsteadiness are present, including characterization of jet column unsteadiness using jet column oscillation frequency, and lateral and streamwise extents of jet distortion.     

Concentration distributions in a model combustor

A hot-wire concentration probe with a spatial resolution of 0.13 mm is used to measure concentration in a model cylindrical combustor. The flow inside the combustor is simulated by injecting a helium jet into a cylindrical confinement with or without swirling air flow present. Mean concentrations are essentially zero outside of the jet region, indicating complete confinement of the scalar field by the swirling flow. Consequently, concentration fluctuations are found to be relatively weak compared to velocity fluctuations, and are maximum off-axis at a point which corresponds to the interface between helium and air flows. However, in the absence of a swirling air flow, the helium diffuses quickly to fill the combustor. The resulting helium concentrations are constant and do not resemble the jet-like behavior of the velocity field.A version of this paper was presented at the ASME Winter Annual Meeting of 1984 and printed in AMD, Vol. 66     

自激振荡脉冲射流喷嘴装置系统频率特性理论研究

根据相似系统原理和流体网络理论建立了自激振荡脉冲射流喷嘴装置的等效网络模型,利用系统传递函数推导了系统频率特性方程并进行了数值计算。结果表明:喷嘴装置的固有频率主要由喷嘴形状、结构参数、入口流速、射流中压力扰动波波速决定;自激振荡腔腔径、自激振荡腔腔长、上喷嘴直径、下喷嘴直径都对系统频率特性影响很大。提出了相应的自激振荡脉冲射流喷嘴设计准则,即喷嘴装置在最佳阻尼比下产生谐波共振。     

Computational study of buoyancy effects in a laminar starting jet

Vortical structures formed in evolving jets are important in applications such as fuel injection in diesel engines and fuel leaks. When the jet fluid is different from the ambient fluid, the buoyancy can play an important role in determining the jet flow structure, and hence, the entrainment and fluid mixing processes. In the present study, a jet of helium injected in air is investigated, with emphasis placed on delineating the buoyancy effects on vector–scalar fields during the starting phase. We utilize a computational model, previously validated to predict the flow field of low-density gas jets. The model incorporates finite volume approach to solve the transport equation of helium mass fraction coupled with conservation equations of mixture mass and momentum. Computations were performed for a laminar jet to characterize the advancing jet front, and to capture the formation and propagation of vortex rings and the related pinch-off process. Results show significant effects of buoyancy on jet advancement, as well as on vorticity and helium concentration in the core of the vortex rings.     

Turbulent flow visualization by interferometric integral imaging and computed tomography

An experimental system using integral interferometric imaging and computer tomography for visualizing the structure of a turbulent, vertical helium jet is described. Integral images and tomographic integral data were obtained using a pulsed phase-shifted interferometer. The integral images revealed a sinuous overall jet structure and large-scale buckling motions in the far-field. Tomographic reconstruction of jet cross-sections at numerous axial locations were made for three turbulent jets at two different Reynols numbers, 2,800 and 4,300. Tomographic images revealed unmixed ambient fluid far inside the jet boundary and a bimodal concentration distribution. Image interpretation and experimental errors are discussed.     

Heat and mass transfer of a fuel droplet evaporating in oscillatory flow

A numerical study of the heat and mass transfer from an evaporating fuel droplet in oscillatory flow was performed. The flow was assumed to be laminar and axisymmetric, and the droplet was assumed to maintain its spherical shape during its lifetime. Based on these assumptions, the conservation equations in a general curvilinear coordinate were solved numerically. The behaviors of droplet evaporation in the oscillatory flow were investigated by analyzing the effects of flow oscillation on the evaporation process of a n-heptane fuel droplet at high pressure.The response of the time history of the square of droplet diameter and space-averaged Nusselt numbers to the main flow oscillation were investigated in frequency band of 1–75 Hz with various oscillation amplitudes. Results showed that, depending on the frequency and amplitude of the oscillation, there are different modes of response of the evaporation process to the flow oscillation. One response mode is synchronous with the main flow oscillation, and thus the quasi-steady condition is attained. Another mode is asynchronous with the flow oscillation and is highly unsteady. As for the evaporation rate, however, in all conditions is more greatly enhanced in oscillatory flow than in quiescent air.To quantify the conditions of the transition from quasi-steady to unsteady, the response of the boundary layer around the droplet surface to the flow oscillation was investigated. The results led to including the oscillation Strouhal number as a criteria for the transition. The numerical results showed that at a low Strouhal number, a quasi-steady boundary layer is formed in response to the flow oscillation, whereas by increasing the oscillation Strouhal number, the phenomena become unsteady.     

Jet flow field during screech

Measurements were made of the flow field structure and the near field parameters of a jet exhausting from a sonic nozzle with a 1.27 cm exit diameter. Compressed air was used for obtaining stagnation pressures up to ～5 atmospheres. The jet exhausted vertically from a settling chamber into an acoustically insulated room and through an insulated duct out through the roof. Measurements were made with several different reflecting surfaces at the nozzle exit as well as an insulating surface. Schlieren pictures at 500,000 frames/s were taken. Overall sound pressure level, impact pressure level downstream, and sound frequency analyzer measurements were made. It was found that with a reflecting surface there was a radial oscillation of the jet which had the same frequency as the dominant sound (screech) frequency emitted by the jet. No axial motion of the inviscid part of the flow structure was detected. The insulated surface at the nozzle exit appeared to shift the dominant frequencies of the sound generated into the region above the audible (>16 KHz). A reflecting surface yielded “pure tones” (screech) with one or two harmonics. The dominant (screech) frequency decreased as the stagnation pressure increased. The screech frequency was found to be approximately inversely proportional to the length of the first shock cell.     

SELF-SUSTAINED OSCILLATION OF A SUBMERGED JET IN A THIN RECTANGULAR CAVITY

Self-sustained oscillating jet flow of water in a rectangular cavity, having thickness which is small relative to its width, is measured using LDA and PIV, and predicted using a transient two-dimensional computational fluid dynamic model which incorporates a resistance coefficient for cross-flow. The basic geometry represents a scale model of a mould typical of thin slab steel casting. The frequency of the oscillation was found to be independent of cavity thickness. It also increased as the cavity width decreased down to some critical value, after which the oscillation ceased. The frequency was observed to increase with nozzle diameter and was found to decrease with increasing length/width ratio of the cavity. The numerical model, with a fixed dimensionless cross-flow resistance coefficient, was shown to predict the Strouhal number of the oscillation and the dimensionless mean velocity profiles in the jet extremely well.     

Unsteady phenomena of an oscillating turbulent jet flow inside a cavity: Effect of aspect ratio

Self-sustained oscillatory phenomena in confined flow may occur when a turbulent plane jet is discharging into a rectangular cavity. An experimental set-up was developed and the flow analysis has been made using mainly hot-wire measurements, which were complemented by visualisation data. Previous studies confirmed that periodic oscillations may occur, depending on the location of the jet exit nozzle inside the cavity, and also the distance between the side-walls. The present study deals with the symmetrical interaction between a turbulent plane jet and a rectangular cavity and the influence of the geometrical characteristics of the cavity on the oscillatory motion. The size and aspect ratio of the cavity were varied together with the jet width compared to that of the cavity. The study is carried out both numerically and experimentally. The numerical method solves the unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations (URANS) together with the continuity equation for an incompressible fluid. The closure of the flow equations system is achieved using a two-scale energy-flux model at high Reynolds number in the core flow coupled with a wall function treatment in the vicinity of the wall boundaries. The fundamental frequency of the oscillatory flow was found to be practically independent of the cavity length. Moreover, the oscillations are attenuated as the cavity width increases, until they disappear for a critical value of the cavity width. Contour maps of the instantaneous flow field are drawn to show the flow pattern evolution at the main phases of oscillation. They are given for several aspect ratios of the cavity, keeping constant values for the cavity width and the jet thickness. The proposed approach may help to investigate further the oscillation mechanisms and the entrainment process occurring in pressure driven jet–cavity interactions.     

Experimental and numerical study on flow characteristics and heat transfer of an oscillating jet in a channel

A fluidic oscillator can produce self-induced and self-sustaining oscillating jet by fluid supply without moving parts. This device has attracted research interest in heat and mass transfer enhancement in recent years. In the current study, a double-feedback fluidic oscillator was numerically investigated based on three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (3D-URANS) while the operating fluid is an incompressible flow. Then, the results were validated with experimental data by two-dimensional time-resolved particle image velocimetry (2D-TR-PIV) and thermographic phosphor thermometry (TPT) for the velocity and temperature field, respectively. A grid sensitivity study was done by comparison of instantaneous and time-averaged flow fields. Additionally, the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method was used to find the phase information of the oscillating jet, and fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis was used to find the frequency of the oscillating jet to validate the numerical results. The effect of the working fluid was also studied. Finally, in order to determine the effect of the Reynolds number on heat transfer enhancement, the Q-criterion was calculated to provide detailed insight into the oscillating mechanism. The results show that the non-dimensional frequency of oscillation is independent of either the working fluid or mass flow rate. Additionally, for a given fluid, increasing Re causes strong vortices and increases the frequency of oscillation. However, the convection heat transfer did not change significantly when varying the mass flow rate because the convection velocity of vortices increases as the mass flow rate is enhanced. A comparison with a free jet reveals that the oscillating jet in a channel is useful in terms of covering a larger area.     

An experimental study on the coherent structures and chaotic phenomena in the axisymmetric countercurrent shear flow

The coherent structures and the chaotic phenomena in the transition of the axisymmetric countercurrent mixing shear flow were investigated experimentally. Two kinds of self-excited oscillation modes could exist in the axisymmetric countercurrent mixing shear flow. One is the shear layer self-excited oscillation mode corresponding to the high Reynolds number regime and the other is the jet column self-excited oscillation mode corresponding to the low Reynolds number regime in the case of the velocity ratio ranging from 1 to 1.5. Analyzing the auto-power spectrum, self-correlation-function and three dimensional reconstructed phase trajectory, the route to chaos through three Hopf bifurcations intercepted by an intermittence of the dynamical system corresponding to the axisymmetric countercurrent mixing shear flow was discovered when the velocity ratio is equal to 1.32.     

Evaluating cavitation regimes in an internal orifice at different temperatures using frequency analysis and visualization

Experiments on a water cavitating orifice were conducted to investigate the influence of pressure and temperature on flow regime transition due to cavitation. The thermal effects could be important in cases with cryogenic cavitation or hot fluid injection. The investigations were based on CCD observations and a pressure fluctuations frequency analysis.The high-speed photographic recordings were used to analyze the cavitation evolution and individuate the frequency content of the two-phase flow by processing the pixel-intensity time-series data.The cavitating structures showed different behaviors and characteristics with variations in operating conditions, as the pressure inside the orifice and the flow temperature .The flow regime map for the cavitating flow was obtained using experimental observations to analyze the occurrence of the different two-phase flow regime transitions at various operating conditions.As the pressure at the orifice inlet increased, at the same downstream pressure, cavitation inception occurred. The decrease of the cavitation number brought a significant increase in cavitation zone extension. As the pressure drop inside the orifice increased, the cavitation was characterized by an evident increase in cavitation zone length to the outlet of the orifice. With a further cavitation number decrease, the transition to jet cavitation was evident.The temperature influenced both the cavitation intensity and the cavitation number at which different two-phase flow regime transitions occurred, which tended to increase with temperature.The vapor fraction was estimated using an image processing algorithm.The frequency content given by the pressure fluctuations was analyzed and compared with the frequency spectra obtained from the visual observations. The behavior of the different cavitating flows could be correlated to the frequency spectrum of the pressure fluctuations measured upstream and downstream of the orifice. The cavitation number reduction and consequent increase in cavitating area width were related to a corresponding significant increase in the amplitude of typical frequency components. The transition to jet cavitation was characterized by a significant increase in the first peak in the frequency spectrum; weaker spectral peaks were also present at high cavitation numbers.     

Optical tomography applied to speckle photographic measurement of asymmetric flows with variable density

Optical tomography is applied to the speckle photographic measurement of an asymmetric flow field with variable fluid density. The convolution back projection algorithm is used for obtaining the 3-D density distribution. Noise in the experimental data is reduced by spline smoothing. The method is verified with a steady, laminar, axisymmetric helium jet exhausting vertically into the ambient air, and then applied to a non-axisymmetric helium jet for determining the helium concentration. It is found that speckle photographic recordings are very adequate for tomographic reconstruction, because they provide a high number of data points from each projection. The influence of the limited number of projections on the reconstruction quality is particularly investigated. Dedicated to Professor Dr.-Ing. J. Zierep on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Effect of nozzle thickness on the self-excited impinging planar jet

The self-excited oscillation of a large aspect ratio planar jet impinging on a flat plate is investigated experimentally at a single transonic jet velocity to clarify the effect of varying the jet thickness on pattern of jet oscillation and frequency of resulting acoustic tone. The study has been performed for a series of jet thicknesses, 1 mm to 4 mm, each of which is tested for the complete range of plate position, i.e. impingement distance, over which acoustic tones are generated. The results reveal that the jet oscillation is controlled by a fluid-dynamic mechanism for small impingement distances, where the hydrodynamic flow instability controls the jet oscillation without any coupling with local acoustic resonances. At larger impingement distances, a fluid-resonant mechanism becomes dominant, in which one of the various hydrodynamic modes of the jet couples with one of the resonant acoustic modes occurring between the jet nozzle and the impingement plate. Within the fluid-resonant regime, the acoustic tones are found to be controlled by the impingement distance, which is the length scale of the acoustic mode, with the jet thickness having only minor effects on the tone frequency. Flow visualization images of the jet oscillation pattern at a constant impingement distance show that the oscillation occurs at the same hydrodynamic mode of the jet despite a four-fold increase in its thickness. Finally, a feedback model has been developed to predict the frequency of acoustic tones, and has been found to yield reasonable predictions over the tested range of impingement distance and nozzle thickness.     

The effect of density ratio on the near field of a naturally occurring oscillating jet

The triangular oscillating jet nozzle generates a triangular jet partially confined within an axi-symmetric chamber to produce a large scale flow oscillation that has application in thermal processes. Particle image velocimetry and oscillation frequency measurements were conducted to investigate the influence of the jet fluid to ambient fluid density ratio on the resulting oscillating flow. The investigation was conducted with a jet momentum flux of 0.06 kg m s⁻² (Re = 7.3−47.2 × 10³) and density ratios ranging from 0.2 to 5.0. The initial spread and decay of the emerging jet was found to depend upon the density ratio but in a more complex way than does an unconfined jet. Both the spread and decay are strongly influenced by the instantaneous angle of jet deflection, with greater deflection leading to increased spreading and decay of the jet. Decreasing the density ratio below unity results in a rapid decrease in the deflection angle, while increasing the density ratio above unity results in an increase in the deflection angle, albeit with less sensitivity. The frequency of oscillation was also shown to depend on the density ratio with an increase in the density ratio causing a decrease in the dominant oscillation frequency.     

Effects of acoustic excitation at resonance Strouhal numbers on characteristics of an elevated transverse jet

The effects of acoustic excitation on the flow behavior, penetration, and spread of the stack-issued and wall-issued transverse jets were studied experimentally. The jet flow was periodically excited by a loudspeaker that was driven with a square wave at resonance Strouhal numbers. The pulsed transverse jet was characterized by jet Reynolds number 2000. Streak pictures of the smoke flow patterns illuminated by the laser-light sheet in the median plane were recorded with a high-speed digital camera to illustrate the evolution process of the characteristic flow behavior within one excitation cycle. The binary edge-detection technique was used to determine penetration height and spread width. The tracer-gas concentration measurement provided jet dispersion information. The evolution processes of both the stack-issued and wall-issued transverse jets were characterized by a leading vortex ring and swing motion of the jet column near the jet exit as the jets were forced at resonance Strouhal numbers. A leading vortex ring appeared near the jet exit during the leading phase of excitation cycle and evolved subsequently to puffs of jet fluids in the upwind shear layer of the deflected jet. The swinging motion of the near-tube tip jet column induced up/down oscillation of the deflected jet. The excited stack-issued transverse jet exhibited significantly larger penetration height and spread width than the excited wall-issued transverse jet. The tracer-gas detection experiment results showed that the excited transverse jet disperses significantly faster and wider than the non-excited transverse jet. Pulsating the transverse jet at low resonance Strouhal numbers produced higher mixing and dispersion effects than pulsating the transverse jet at high resonance Strouhal numbers.     

Measurements of admixture concentration fluctuations in a turbulent shear flow using an averaged Talbot image

The present study is concerned with adopting of a Talbot effect-based technique for analyzing flows with random phase inhomogeneities. It is shown that this method is a powerful tool for diagnostics of turbulent flows. The potential of the technique is illustrated by measuring mean and fluctuating values of admixture concentration of two-dimensional turbulent helium jet issuing into the ambient air. Averaged air and helium concentrations throughout the flow field are determined using local light refraction measurements with a high spatial resolution from a long-exposed Talbot image of the jet. The analysis of light intensity distributions in light spots of a Talbot-image shows that the jet turbulence is inhomogeneous and anisotropic. Quantitative information on rms fluctuations of concentration gradients throughout the flow field is obtained from local photometric measurements at the Talbot light spots.     

Color schlieren deflectometry study of jet mixing: effect of buoyancy and perforation

Mixing of jets is crucial for optimal performance of many industrial applications and there is a need to optimize both nozzle geometry and flow conditions. The present study reports the influence of buoyancy and perforation on mixing between a jet and its environment. Optical techniques are ideal for the study of jet mixing due to their non-intrusive and inertia free properties. The present study gives an account of mixing between helium jet and the ambient fluid using a combination of color schlieren deflectometry and radial tomographic mathematics. Four different perforation sizes have been used and the experiments are performed for Reynolds numbers 21–676 and Richardson numbers 3.27–0.0015. Color schlieren images show distinct influence of perforation and flow conditions (Richardson number). Oxygen concentration and jet width quantify effectiveness of jet mixing. Buoyancy plays an important role in mixing at high Richardson number. Perforation improves jet mixing i.e. there is about 120% increase in jet width and the size of perforation plays an important role.