Numerical investigation of corner angle and wing number effects on fluid flow characteristics of a turbulent stellar jet

In this research the fluid dynamics characteristics of a stellar turbulent jet flow is studied numerically and the results of three dimensional jet issued from a stellar nozzle are presented. A numerical method based on control volume approach with collocated grid arrangement is employed. The turbulent stresses are approximated using k–ε and k–ω models with four different inlet conditions. The velocity field is presented and the rate of decay at jet centerline is noted. Special attention is drawn on the influence of corner angle and number of wings on mixing in stellar cross section jets. Stellar jets with three; four and five wings and 15–65° corner angles are studied. Also the effect of Reynolds number (based on hydraulic diameter) as well as the inflow conditions on the evolution of the stellar jet is studied. The Numerical results show that the jet entrains more with corner angle 65° and five wings number. The jet is close to a converged state for high Reynolds numbers. Also the influence of the inflow conditions on the jet characteristics is so strong.     

Numerical investigation of turbulent free jet flows issuing from rectangular nozzles: the influence of small aspect ratio

In this research, the fluid and thermal characteristics of a rectangular turbulent jet flow is studied numerically. The results of three-dimensional jet issued from a rectangular nozzle are presented. A numerical method employing control volume approach with collocated grid arrangement was employed. Velocity and pressure fields are coupled with SIMPLEC algorithm. The turbulent stresses are approximated using k–e{\varepsilon} model with two different inlet conditions. The velocity and temperature fields are presented and the rates of their decay at the jet centerline are noted. The velocity vectors of the main flow and the secondary flow are illustrated. Also, effect of aspect ratio on mixing in rectangular cross-section jets is considered. The aspect ratios that were considered for this work were 1:1 to 1:4. The results showed that the jet entrains more with smaller AR. Special attention has been drawn to the influence of the Reynolds number (based on hydraulic diameter) as well as the inflow conditions on the evolution of the rectangular jet. An influence on the jet evolution is found for smaller Re, but the jet is close to a converged state for higher Reynolds numbers. The inflow conditions have considerable influence on the jet characteristics.     

Critical gas outflow from nozzles

The possibility of critical gas flow from Laval nozzles in overexpanded regimes behind a bridge shock is investigated theoretically with and without allowance for viscous mixing at the edge of the jet. The influence of the mixing effect and flow separation from the nozzle walls on the critical flow conditions is analyzed. It is shown experimentally that these regimes coincide closely with the displacement of the normal shock to the nozzle exit and cessation of the emission by the jet of a discrete tone. Mariupol. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 180–184, July–August, 1994.     

Identification of vortex motions in turbulent mixing of choked jets

A specially adapted schlieren system is used to generate fluctuating signals which respond strongly to large scale coherent components of a turbulent mixing jet flow and which have a relatively reduced response to random disturbances. The schlieren signals also provide a direct indication of the presence of vortex-like structures in the turbulent mixing layers by virtue of the phase relationship of the schlieren signals to the pressure field. This system gives a clear resolution of the fluctuating periodic effects associated with vortex structures in the flow from a choked convergent nozzle. It has thus been possible to determine that vortex-like eddies are associated with the feedback screech mechanism, and also generate periodic disturbances due to their passage through the diamond shaped wave structure in the flow. The regular disturbances in the flow move at 0.77 of the fully expanded flow velocity. Phase spectral observations demonstrate clearly the vortex like structure of coherent disturbances in the flow by virtue of the quadrature phase relation between the schlieren and microphone signals. Movement of the sensing microphone in the pressure field external to the flow shows disturbance propagation at the acoustic velocity, and also shows that disturbances at Strouhal numbers above 0.7 emanating from the inner mixing zone can be identified by an additional time delay to reach the microphone and only influence the microphone when it is located downstream of the flow sensing schlieren system due to confinement of pressure disturbances within Mach cones of the flow.     

Turbulent diffusion of a buoyant layer at a wall

Summary When a light fluid is injected at a steady rate at the roof of a tunnel in which there is a turbulent main flow of a heavier fluid, the turbulent diffusion of the light layer may be considerably reduced due to buoyancy. For large Richardson numbers turbulent mixing ceases altogether.The equations of motion and diffusion were solved by introducing an eddy diffusivity which is dependant on the Richardson number. Experiments were made on brine (floor) layers in a water flow, and on methane (roof) layers in an air flow. Results were essentially in agreement with theory.The motion and mixing of the layers depend mainly on the inclination of the tunnel and on a dimensionless combination of main-flow velocity, gravity, relative density difference, volume input rate of layer fluid, and tunnel width. Values of the dimensionless parameter are suggested to overcome the effects of buoyancy on mixing, and to prevent layers from moving up a slope against the main flow.     

Experimental study on the flow field behind a backward-facing step using a detonation-driven shock tunnel

The supersonic combustion RAM jet (SCRAM jet) engine is expected to be used in next-generation space planes and hypersonic airliners. To develop the engine, stabilized combustion in a supersonic flow field must be attained even though the residence time of flow is extremely short. A mixing process for breathed air and fuel injected into the supersonic flow field is therefore one of the most important design problems. Because the flow inside the SCRAM jet engine has high enthalpy, an experimental facility is required to produce the high-enthalpy flow field. In this study, a detonation-driven shock tunnel was built to produce a high-enthalpy flow, and a model SCRAM jet engine equipped with a backward-facing step was installed in the test section of the facility to visualize flow fields using a color schlieren technique and high-speed video camera. The fuel was injected perpendicularly to a Mach 3 flow behind the backward-facing step. The height of the step, the injection distance and injection pressure were varied to investigate the effects of the step on air/fuel mixing characteristics. The results show that the recirculation region increases as the fuel injection pressure increases. For injection behind the backward-facing step, mixing efficiency is much higher than with a flat plate. Also, the injection position has a significant influence on the size of the recirculation region generated behind the backward-facing step. The schlieren photograph and pressure histories measured on the bottom wall of the SCRAM jet engine model show that the fuel was ignited behind the step.Communicated by K. Takayama PACS 47.40.Ki     

Determination of the shape of the shocks ahead of a transverse jet injected into a supersonic flow

The three-dimensional shape of the shock wave formed ahead of a sonic jet flowing out into a supersonic flow through the surface of a sharp cone is determined. The shape of the wave in the longitudinal and transverse cross-sections of the model is constructed using schlieren photographs taken for various angles of rotation and freestream Mach numbers M=1.75–3. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 41–44, March–April, 1998. This research was carried out with financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 95-01-00709a).     

Experimental Investigation of Nozzle Exit Reflector Effect on Supersonic Jet

The present study describes an experimental work to investigate the effect of a nozzle exit reflector on a supersonic jet that is discharged from a convergent–divergent nozzle with a design Mach number of 2.0. An annular reflector is installed at the nozzle exit and its diameter is varied. A high-quality spark schlieren optical system is used to visualize detailed jet structures with and without the reflector. Impact pressure measurement using a pitot probe is also carried out to quantify the reflector’s effect on the supersonic jet which is in the range from an over-expanded to a moderately under-expanded state. The results obtained show that for over-expanded jets, the reflector substantially increases the jet spreading rate and reduces the supersonic length of the jet, compared with moderately under-expanded jets. The reflector’s effect appears more significant in imperfectly expanded jets that have strong shock cell structures, but is negligible in correctly expanded jet.     

Near-field instability of variable property jet in normal gravity and microgravity fields

The near-field instability of variable property jets of air, CO₂, and He, issued into the ambient air, has been investigated experimentally within normal gravity and microgravity fields. The density ratio to the ambient air is unity for air jets, more than unity (1.53) for CO₂ jets, and less than unity (0.14) for He jets, respectively. The ratio of kinematic viscosity to the ambient air is unity for air jets, less than unity for CO₂ jets (0.53), and more than unity for He jets (7.75), respectively. The jet velocity is varied from 0.4 to 1.8 m/s and then the jet Reynolds number varies from 60 for Helium jet to 2,000 for CO₂ jet, while the Richardson number varies from negative to positive values. The motion of the jet is visualized using a laser tomographic method and recorded by a high-speed digital video camera with 250 frames/s. The result shows that the instability of the jet is intensified when Re > 800 while it is weakened at Re < 800 at the microgravity field, indicating that the viscosity plays an important role in weakening the instability. Under a normal gravity field, the buoyancy also becomes important. In order to quantify the instability criteria, the quantity of the instability is introduced, which consists of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, buoyancy effect and viscous effect. When the ratio of the sum of Kelvin–Helmholtz and buoyancy forces to viscous force exceeds a certain value, around 12 in the present study, the jet becomes unstable even when Re < 800. These results reveal that the instability of variable property jets is influenced by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, the viscous effect and the buoyancy effect.     

Full-field measurements of self-excited oscillations in momentum-dominated helium jets

Flow structure of momentum-dominated helium jets discharged vertically into ambient air was investigated using a high-speed rainbow schlieren deflectometry (RSD) apparatus operated at up to 2,000 Hz. The operating parameters, i.e., Reynolds number and Richardson number were varied independently to examine the self-excited, flow oscillatory behavior over a range of experimental conditions. Measurements revealed highly periodic oscillations in the laminar region at a unique frequency as well as high regularity in the flow transition and initial turbulent regions. The buoyancy was shown to affect the oscillation frequency and the distance from the jet exit to the flow transition plane. Instantaneous helium concentration contours across the field of view revealed changes in the jet flow structure and the evolution of the vortical structures during an oscillation cycle. A cross-correlation technique was applied to track the vortices and to find their convection velocity. Time traces of helium concentration at different axial locations provided detailed information about the oscillating flow.     

Distance effect on the behavior of an impinging swirling jet by PIV and flow visualizations

The present paper deals with the problem of an impinging swirling jet against a wall. The study concerned a detailed experimental investigation on the jet–wall interaction using PIV and flow visualizations over a range of operating conditions in which the distance of the ducted propeller from the wall was changed. The influence of the impingement distance and the swirl number (i.e., ratio between the axial fluxes of the swirl and the axial momentum) as well as the interaction between the jet deformation and the perturbation induced on the wall is discussed in this paper.     

Mixed convection cooling of a heated circular cylinder by laminar upward-directed slot jet impingement

An experimental and numerical study has been carried out to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of a horizontal circular cylinder exposed to a slot jet impingement of air. A square-edged nozzle is mounted parallel with the cylinder axis and jet flow impinges on the bottom of the cylinder. The study is focused on low Reynolds numbers ranging from 120 to 1,210, Grashof numbers up to Gr = 10Re ² and slot-to-cylinder spacing from 2 to 8 of the slot width. The flow field is greatly influenced by the slot exit velocity and the buoyancy force due to density change. A Mach–Zehnder Interferometer is used for measurement of local Nusselt number around the cylinder at 10° interval. It is observed that the average Nusselt number decreases with increasing the jet spacing and increases with rising the Reynolds number. A finite volume method utilizing a curvilinear coordinate transformation is used for numerical modeling. The numerical results show good agreement with the experimental results. The flow and thermal field are seen to be stable and symmetric around the cylinder over the range of parameters studied.     

Investigation of high-speed combustible gas ignited by a hot gas jetproduced in the shock tube

The high-speed combustible gas ignited by a hot gas jet, which is induced by shock focusing, was experimentally investigated. By use of the separation mode of shock tube, the test section of a single shock tube is split into two parts, which provide the high-speed flow of combustible gas and pilot flame of hot gas jet, respectively. In the interface of two parts of test sections the flame of jet was formed and spread to the high-speed combustible gas. Two kinds of the ignitions, 3-D “line-flame ignition” and 2-D “plane-flame ignition”, were investigated. In the condition of 3-D “line-flame ignition” of combustion, thicker hot gas jet than pure air jet, was observed in schlieren photos. In the condition of 2-D “plane-flame ignition” of combustion, the delay time of ignition and the angle of flame front in schlieren photos were measured, from which the velocity of flame propagation in the high-speed combustible gas is estimated in the range of 30–90m/s and the delay time of ignition is estimated in the range of 0.12–0.29ms. PACS 47.40.Nm; 82.40.FpPart of this paper was presented at the 5th International Workshop on Shock/Vortex Interaction, Kaohsiung, October 27–31, 2003.     

Application of rainbow schlieren deflectometry for concentration measurements in an axisymmetric helium jet

 The rainbow schlieren deflectometry technique was used to measure oxygen concentrations in a laminar, isothermal helium jet discharged vertically into ambient air. The concentration distributions were inferred from the color schlieren image by taking into consideration the sampling interval and noise in measurements, especially near the jet center. Excellent quantitative agreement was reached between measurements from schlieren and a continuous sampling probe. This work demonstrates the capability of the schlieren technique for providing accurate, spatially-resolved, nonintrusive, full-field of view measurements of species concentration in an isothermal binary system. Because the basic quantity measured is the refractive index, the present schlieren technique can be extended for quantitative measurements of other scalar flow properties related to the refractive index. Received: 21 April 1997 / Accepted: 14 November 1997     

Flow and mixing characteristics of swirling double-concentric jets subject to acoustic excitation

Characteristic flow modes, flow evolution processes, jet spread width, turbulence properties, and dispersion characteristics of swirling double-concentric jets were studied experimentally. Jet pulsations were induced by means of acoustic excitation. Streak pictures of smoke flow patterns, illuminated by a laser-light sheet, were recorded by a high-speed digital camera. A hot-wire anemometer was used to digitize instantaneous velocity instabilities in the flow. Jet spread width was obtained through a binary edge identification technique. Tracer-gas concentrations were measured for information on jet dispersions. Two characteristic flow patterns were observed: (1) synchronized vortex rings appeared in the low excitation intensity regime (the excitation intensity less than one) and (2) synchronized puffing turbulent jets appeared in the high excitation intensity regime (the excitation intensity greater than one). In the high excitation intensity regime, the “suction back” phenomenon occurred and therefore induced in-tube mixing. The jet spread width and turbulent fluctuation intensity exhibited particularly large values in the high excitation intensity regime at the excitation Strouhal numbers smaller than 0.85. At the excitation Strouhal numbers >0.85, the high-frequency effect caused significant decay of jet breakup and dispersion—the jet spread width and fluctuation intensity decreased sharply and may, at very high Strouhal numbers, asymptotically approach values almost the same as the values associated with unexcited jets. Exciting the jets at the high excitation intensity regime, the effects of puffing motion and in-tube mixing caused breakup of the jet in the near field and therefore resulted in a small Lagrangian integral time and small length scales of fluctuating eddies. This effect, in turn, caused drastic dispersion of the central jet fluids. It is possible that the excited jets can attain 90 % more improvements than the unexcited jets. We provide a domain regarding excitation intensity and Strouhal number to facilitate identification of characteristic flow modes.     

Numerical calculations of supersonic underexpanded jets in a cocurrent flow with the use of parabolized Navier-Stokes equations

Results of a numerical study of three-dimensional supersonic jets propagating in a cocurrent flow are described. Averaged parabolized Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically on the basis of a developed scheme, which allows calculations in supersonic and subsonic flow regions to be performed in a single manner. A jet flow with a cocurrent flow Mach number 0.05 ⩽ M_∞ ⩽ 7.00 is studied, and its effect on the structure of the mixing layer is demonstrated. The calculated results are compared with available experimental and numerical data. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 54–63, May–June, 2008.     

Role of Buoyancy on Instabilities and Structure of Transitional Gas Jet Diffusion Flames

Transitional jet diffusion flames provide the link between dynamics of laminar and turbulent flames. In this study, instabilities and their interaction with the flow structure are explored in a transitional jet diffusion flame, with focus on isolating buoyancy effects. Experiments are conducted in hydrogen flames with fuel jet Reynolds number of up to 2,200 and average jet velocity of up to 54 m/s. Since the fuel jet is laminar at the injector exit, the transition from laminar to turbulent flame occurs by the hydrodynamic instabilities in the shear layer of fuel jet. The instabilities and the flow structures are visualized and quantified by the rainbow schlieren deflectometry technique coupled with a high-speed imaging system. The schlieren images acquired at 2,000 frames per second allowed exposure time of 23 μs with spatial resolution of 0.4 mm. Results identify a hitherto unknown secondary instability in the flame surface, provide explanation for the observed intermittency in the breakpoint length, show coherent vortical structures downstream of the flame breakpoint, and illustrate gradual breakdown of coherent structures into small-scale random structures in the far field turbulent region.     

Experiments on the Flow Field and Acoustic Properties of a Mach number 0·75 Turbulent Air Jet at a Low Reynolds Number

In this paper we present the experimental results of a detailed investigation of the flow and acoustic properties of a turbulent jet with Mach number 0·75 and Reynolds number 3·5 10³. We describe the methods and experimental procedures followed during the measurements, and subsequently present the flow field and acoustic field. The experiment presented here is designed to provide accurate and reliable data for validation of Direct Numerical Simulations of the same flow. Mean Mach number surveys provide detailed information on the centreline mean Mach number distribution, radial development of the mean Mach number and the evolution of the jet mixing layer thickness both downstream and in the early stages of jet development. Exit conditions are documented by measuring the mean Mach number profile immediately above the nozzle exit. The fluctuating flow field is characterised by means of a hot-wire, which produced radial profiles of axial turbulence at several stations along the jet axis and the development of flow fluctuations through the jet mixing layer. The axial growth rate of the jet instabilities are determined as function of Strouhal number, and the axial development of several spectral components is documented. The directivity of the overall sound pressure level and several spectral components were investigated. The spectral content of the acoustic far field is shown to be compatible with findings of hot-wire experiments in the mixing layer of the jet. In addition, the measured acoustic spectra agree with Tam’s large-scale similarity and fine-scale similarity spectra (Tam et al., AIAA Pap 96, 1996).     

Noise Investigation of a High Subsonic, Moderate Reynolds Number Jet Using a Compressible Large Eddy Simulation

This study investigates the noise radiated by a subsonic circular jet with a Mach number of 0.9 and a Reynolds number of 65000 computed by a compressible Large Eddy Simulation (LES). First, it demonstrates the feasibility of using LES to predict accurately both the flow field and the sound radiation on a domain including the acoustic field. Mean flow parameters, turbulence intensities, velocity spectra and integral length scales are in very good agreement with experimental data. The noise generated by the jet, provided directly by the simulation, is also consistent with measurements in terms of sound pressure spectra, levels and directivity. The apparent location of the sound sources is at the end of the potential core in accordance with some experimental observations at similar Reynolds numbers and Mach numbers. Second, the noise generation mechanisms are discussed in an attempt to connect the flow field with the acoustic field. This study shows that for the simulated moderate Reynolds number jet, the predominant sound radiation in the downstream direction is associated with the breakdown of the shear layers in the central jet zone. Received 24 January 2002 and accepted 16 July 2002 Published online 3 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*" A preliminary version of some of the results presented here was reported in AIAA Paper 2000–2009 presented at the 6th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference in Lahaina, Hawaii, June 2000. Computing time was supplied by the Institut du Développement et des Ressources en Informatique Scientifique (IDRIS – CNRS). Communicated by T.B. Gatski     

On the vorticity characteristics of lobe-forced mixer at different configurations

Lobe-forced mixer is one typical example of the passive flow controllers owing to its corrugated trailing edge. Besides the spanwise Kelvin–Helmholtz vortex shedding, streamwise vortices are also generated within its mixing layer. The geometrical configuration of the lobe significantly affects these two types of vortices, which in turn affects the mixing performance of the mixer. In the present investigation, characteristics of mixers with five different configurations were examined and evaluated for two velocity ratios (r = 1, 0.4). The mixers have only one lobe in order to eliminate any possible interactions between neighboring vortices generated by the adjacent lobes. Hot-wire anemometer was used to examine the Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices via the spectrum analysis while laser Doppler anemometer was employed to examine the streamwise vortices. It was found that there were two main frequencies for the Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices in the wake of the mixer; and the Strouhal numbers approached their respective maximum values at high Reynolds number. The rectangular mixer had similar mixing performance with the semicircular one; and both of them were better than the triangular mixer. The scalloping modification enhanced mixing by generating additional streamwise vortices while the scarfing modification could not improve the mixing performance.