A wavelet transform analysis applied to unsteady aspects of supersonic jet screech resonance

 The multiple acoustic modes and shear layer instability waves which characterize a supersonic underexpanded rectangular jet are investigated experimentally via the Morlet wavelet transform. Because of its quasi-locality in both physical-space and Fourier space, the wavelet transformation allows one to track the time evolution of the various scales in both acoustic and velocity fluctuation signals. Using this technique it is demonstrated that multiple acoustic modes produced by the jet coexist and are not due to a mode switching mechanism. Unsteady screech tone modulation is observed and a mechanism for its occurrence is proposed. Received: 9 February 1996 / Accepted: 17 June 1996     

Experimental characterization of non-premixed turbulent jet propane flames

This paper reports an experimental study conducted on turbulent jet propane flames aiming at further understanding of turbulent structure in non-premixed slow-chemistry combustion systems. Measurements of mean and fluctuating velocity and temperature fields, mean concentration of major chemical species, correlation between velocity and temperature fluctuations, and dissipation of temperature fluctuations are reported in a turbulent round jet non-premixed propane flame, Re=20 400 and 37 600, issuing vertically in still air. The experimental conditions were designed to provide a complete definition of the upstream boundary conditions in the measurement domain for the purpose of validating computational models. The measured data depicts useful flow field information for describing turbulent non-premixed slow-chemistry flames. Velocity–temperature correlation measurements show turbulent heat fluxes tended to be restricted to the mixing layer where large temperature gradients occurred. Observations of non-gradient diffusion of heat at x/D=10 were verified. Temperature fluctuation dissipation, χ, showed the highest values in the shear layer, where the variance of temperature fluctuations was maximum and combustion occurred. The isotropy between the temperature dissipation in the radial and tangential directions was confirmed. By contrast, the observed anisotropy between axial and radial directions of dissipation suggests the influence of large structures in the entrainment shear layer on the production of temperature fluctuations in the flame region. The value of the normalized scalar dissipation at the stoichiometric mixture fraction surface, χ_st, was calculated, and ranges between 2 and 4 s⁻¹. The measured data were used to estimate the budgets in the balance equations for turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds shear stresses, turbulent heat flux and temperature variance, quantifying the mechanisms involved in the generation of turbulence as well as in the transport of the temperature.     

Investigation of Nonuniformity of the Velocity Distribution in the Shear Layer of an Underexpanded Jet by Electric Discharge Tracing of the Flow

Streamwise and radial components of velocity in the shear layer of an underexpanded jet are measured by the method of spark tracing. The nonuniform distribution of gas-dynamic parameters of the flow in this region is caused by streamwise Görtler-type vortex structures.     

水下欠膨胀高速气体射流的实验研究

采用实验途径研究了下水高速气体射流的动力学特性,研制了水下高速气体射流实验系统并发展了相应的测试手段。实验中,用插入式静压探针测量了射流轴线静压分布;用γ射线衰减法测量了径向空隙率分布,从而揭示了水下高速气体射流均压和掺混两个过程的基本规律。测量结果表明：水下高速气体射流在欠膨胀工况下运行时,近场将出现含有复杂波系结构的膨胀压缩区域,由于气水的掺混作用,水下欠膨胀气体射流均压化过程比空气中衰减得快。测量结果还表明,水下射流在近场区的混合层由气水两相占据,其流态从靠近气体侧的液滴流型过渡到靠近液体侧的气泡流型。     

Density field of supersonic separated flow past an afterbody nozzle using tomographic reconstruction of BOS data

The background oriented Schlieren (BOS) technique has been applied to determine the density field in an oblique shock-separated turbulent boundary flow. Measurements were made for two cases, namely, with/without jet flow from the afterbody which is a nozzle. In addition, oil flow and Schlieren visualizations were carried out—the results show certain upstream features of interest including shock excursions. The mean density field from BOS is discussed along with results from conventional Schlieren flow visualization. The data extracted from the mean density field obtained through BOS have been compared for the jet-off and jet-on cases. The data obtained also show the mean density in the base region (jet-off case) to be about 50% of the freestream density and match the isentropic values for the underexpanded jet at the exit. The study involving shock–boundary interaction, movement of freestream shock over the afterbody in the presence of a jet plume provides understanding of flow physics in a flow regime where whole field velocity measurements are extremely difficult.     

An inclined wall jet: Mean flow characteristics and effects of acoustic excitation

 The mean velocity field of a 30° inclined wall jet has been investigated using both hot-wire and laser Doppler anemometry (LDA). Provided that the nozzle aspect ratio is greater than 30 and the inclined wall angle (β) is less than 50°, LDA measurements for various β show that the reattachment length is independent of the nozzle aspect ratio and the nozzle exit Reynolds number (in the range 6670–13,340). There is general agreement between the reattachment lengths determined by LDA and those determined using wall surface oil film visualisation technique. The role of coherent structures arising from initial instabilities of a 30° wall jet has been explored by hot-wire spectra measurements. Results indicate that the fundamental vortex roll-up frequency in both the inner and outer shear layer corresponds to a Strouhal number (based on nozzle exit momentum thickness and velocity) of 0.012. The spatial development of instabilities in the jet has been studied by introducing acoustic excitation at a frequency corresponding to the shear layer mode. The formation of the fundamental and its first subharmonic has been identified in the outer shear layer. However, the development of the first subharmonic in the inner shear layer has been severely suppressed. Distributions of mean velocities, turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stress indicate that controlled acoustic excitation enhances the development of instabilities and promotes jet reattachment to the wall, resulting in a substantially reduced recirculation flow region. Received: 24 November 1998/Accepted: 24 August 1999     

Turbulence reduction in the mixing layer of a plane jet using small cylinders

 The influence of small diameter cylinders placed at the nozzle exit plane on the development of a plane jet mixing layer is investigated using a single hot wire at a jet Reynolds number of about 23000. There is a reduction in both the growth rate and the momentum thickness of the jet as well as a 20% reduction in the maximum value of u′, the rms longitudinal velocity fluctuation u. The jet virtual origin is shifted downstream and distributions of the normalized mean velocity, u′, skewness and flatness factors of u exhibit much better similarity than in the absence of the cylinder. Spectral measurements indicate that downstream of the cylinder, the peak amplitude at the roll-up or instability frequency is greatly reduced or even suppressed. Two different diameter cylinders, placed independently at several locations in the shear layer yielded similar results. A model based on an interaction between the organized motion in the mixing layer and the vortical structures shed by the cylinder is consistent with our observations. Received: 23 June 1997 / Accepted: 8 December 1997     

Application of Particle Image Velocimetry and Reference Image Topography to jet shock cells using the hydraulic analogy

This paper examines the shock cell structure, vorticity and velocity field at the exit of an underexpanded jet nozzle using a hydraulic analogy and the Reference Image Topography technique. Understanding the flow in this region is important for the mitigation of screech, an aeroacoustic problem harmful to aircraft structures. Experiments are conducted on a water table, allowing detailed quantitative investigation of this important flow regime at a greatly reduced expense. Conventional Particle Image Velocimetry is employed to determine the velocity and vorticity fields of the nozzle exit region. Applying Reference Image Topography, the wavy water surface is reconstructed and when combined with the hydraulic analogy, provides a pressure map of the region. With this approach subtraction of surfaces is used to highlight the unsteady regions of the flow, which is not as convenient or quantitative with conventional Schlieren techniques. This allows a detailed analysis of the shock cell structures and their interaction with flow instabilities in the shear layer that are the underlying cause of jet screech.     

Space–time correlation measurements of high-speed axisymmetric jets using optical deflectometry

An optical deflectometry system is used to provide unique space–time correlation measurements at two positions separated by varying axial distances within a high-speed jet shear layer. The measurements were made for both pure air and for helium/air mixture jets at Mach numbers M=0.9 and M=1.5. The jets issue from round nozzles and the sensing volumes at the two measurement positions consist of small light filaments along spanwise lines that are tangential to the annular jet shear layer. Applying this technique to obtain measurements detailing the level of correlation, spectral content, and convection velocity for jet flows in these flow regimes near the end of the potential core is particularly important in the understanding and prediction of jet noise. Measurements near the end of the potential core along the jet lip line exhibit distinct cross-correlation curves for the pure air jet cases. However, helium/air mixture jets display much lower levels of correlation and little evidence of large-scale structure in the measured spectra. It is believed that the thick visual density gradients dominated by smaller scales throughout the shear layer of the helium/air mixture jets effectively mask the large-scale structure, thus, reflecting a limitation of this optical deflectometer. Finally, a decrease in normalized convection velocity with helium addition is observed.     

Free-surface fluctuations in hydraulic jumps: Experimental observations

A hydraulic jump is the rapid and sudden transition from a high-velocity supercritical open channel flow to a subcritical flow. It is characterised by the dynamic interactions of the large-scale eddies with the free-surface. New series of experimental measurements were conducted in hydraulic jumps with Froude numbers between 3.1 and 8.5 to investigate these interactions. The dynamic free surface measurements were performed with a non-intrusive technique while the two-phase flow properties were recorded with a phase-detection probe. The shape of the mean free surface profile was well defined and the turbulent fluctuation profiles highlighted a distinct peak of turbulent intensity in the first part of the jump roller, with free-surface fluctuation levels increasing with increasing Froude number. The dominant free-surface fluctuation frequencies were typically between 1 and 4 Hz. A comparison between the acoustic sensor signals and conductivity probe data suggested that the air–water “free-surface” detected by the acoustic sensor corresponded to about the boundary between the turbulent shear layer and the upper free-surface layer. Simultaneous measurements of free surface and bubbly flow fluctuations for Fr = 5.1 indicated that the frequency ranges of both sensors were similar (F < 5 Hz) whatever the position downstream of the toe. The present results highlighted that the dynamic free-surface measurements can be conducted successfully using acoustic displacement meters, and the time-averaged depth measurements was a physical measure of the free-surface location in hydraulic jumps.     

Flow structure formed by interaction of a single microjet with a supersonic jet flow

The flow structure at the initial section of a supersonic underexpanded jet in the presence of a stationary artificial disturbance in the form of a single microjet is studied experimentally. The influence of gas-dynamic and geometric parameters of the microjet on the structure of the main supersonic flow and a significant effect of the microjet on the changes in the Pitot pressure in the shear layer of the supersonic jets are identified. Interaction between the microjet and the main jet flow generates disturbances of two types propagating in the main jet flow: a disturbance induced by the wake flow behind the microjet and a weaker disturbance in the form of a low-intensity shock wave (Mach wave type). __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 104–111, May–June, 2009.     

Experimental investigation of the flow in the mixing layer in the initial section of an underexpanded jet in a parallel stream

The results are given of an experimental investigation of the flow in the initial section of a turbulent underexpanded jet exhausting from a profiled nozzle with Mach number M _a = 2.56 at the exit into a parallel stream with Mach number M = 3.1. Analysis of the results of measurement of the fields of the total head p₀ and the stagnation temperature T₀ in conjunction with results of calculation of a jet of an ideal gas make it possible to construct the velocity profile in the mixing layer of the underexpanded jet in the parallel supersonic flow.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 161–163, January–February, 1981.     

Doubly spiraled supersonic jet

The instability of supersonic underexpanded submerged air jet outflow from a nozzle with a central cone in the form of two convergent interlaced spirals is described. A technique for controlling this structure by means of extending the central cone streamwise is proposed. It is shown that the central cone position makes it possible to control the gas outflow and to go over from the Mach reflection regime to the regime of wave spiral and gaseous phase condensation, which before were not observable. The results of the measurements of the dynamic head of jets issuing from the nozzle with and without the central cone are presented.     

Dynamic measurement of temperature, velocity, and density in hot jets using Rayleigh scattering

A molecular Rayleigh scattering technique is utilized to measure gas temperature, velocity, and density in unseeded gas flows at sampling rates up to 10 kHz, providing fluctuation information up to 5 kHz based on the Nyquist theorem. A high-power continuous-wave laser beam is focused at a point in an air flow field and Rayleigh scattered light is collected and fiber-optically transmitted to a Fabry–Perot interferometer for spectral analysis. Photomultiplier tubes operated in the photon counting mode allow high-frequency sampling of the total signal level and the circular interference pattern to provide dynamic density, temperature, and velocity measurements. Mean and root mean square velocity, temperature, and density, as well as power spectral density calculations, are presented for measurements in a hydrogen-combustor heated jet facility with a 50.8-mm diameter nozzle at NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field. The Rayleigh measurements are compared with particle image velocimetry data and computational fluid dynamics predictions. This technique is aimed at aeronautics research related to identifying noise sources in free jets, as well as applications in supersonic and hypersonic flows where measurement of flow properties, including mass flux, is required in the presence of shocks and ionization occurrence.     

Self-oscillations in an underexpanded jet flowing into a barrier

The distribution of the phases and amplitudes of the static pressure fluctuations with self-oscillations of an underexpanded jet flowing into a barrier is obtained experimentally in the present paper. The distribution of the Mach number in the compressed layer and in the subsonic flow in front of the barrier is shown. The results of the measurements of the characteristics of the self-oscillation process are discussed.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 38–43, November–December, 1977.     

Numerical prediction of supersonic jet screech frequency

Screech frequency is predicted using three different approaches, which make use of different quantities measured from the same computed flow field. The three different approaches are based on shock cell spacing in the imperfectly expanded supersonic jet, the wavelength of standing wave formed at the edge of the shear layer due to interference between downstream propagating hydrodynamic instabilities and upstream propagating acoustic waves, and from a spectral analysis of near-field pressure fluctuations. The computed flowfield for underexpanded and overexpanded axisymmetric screeching jets are obtained by solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations using a higher order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) discretization along with a subgrid scale Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) model.      

Structure of a supersonic jet with varied geometry of the nozzle entrance

The structure of a supersonic underexpanded lowpressureratio jet exhausted from a nozzle with variable geometry of the entrance section is experimentally studied. Total pressure distributions in the initial cross sections of the examined jets are obtained. Based on these distributions, the coordinates of the mixingregion boundaries are found. The curvature of streamlines in the mixing layer within the first two barrels of an underexpanded jet is determined. A dependence generalizing the measurement results on the curvature of streamlines in the first barrel of a weakly underexpanded jet is obtained in dimensionless coordinates.     

Instantaneous measurement of two-dimensional temperature distributions by means of two-color planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF)

We present a noninvasive technique to measure instantaneously two-dimensional temperature distributions in liquid flows by means of two-color planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) of rhodamine B. This technique allows absolute temperature measurements by determining the relative intensities on two adequate spectral bands of the same dye and a reference measurement at a known temperature. Demonstration measurements on a heated turbulent jet injected into a coflow at ambient temperature are presented. The mean temperature field is investigated, as well as the temperature fluctuations. The results are compared to those obtained by means of a usual single-color PLIF technique.     

The effect of a single vortex generator jet on the characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer

A flat plate experiment was performed in a water tunnel to determine the effects of a vortex generator jet on the characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer at various wall normal locations. The results show that the characteristic distributions of the turbulent fluctuation quantities are nearly unaffected by the induced vortex structures neither in the steady nor in the dynamic blowing case. The shear layer interaction between the turbulent main flow and the jet flow produces less turbulent fluctuations than it is expected from a turbulent free jet flow. Thus, the mixing process of this flow control strategy is based only on a large-scale momentum transport superimposed by the turbulent fluctuation quantities. This allows a separation of scales for physical interpretation and numerical simulations.