Linear stability analysis of supersonic axisymmetric jets

Stabilities of supersonic jets are examined with different velocities, momentum thicknesses, and core temperatures. Amplification rates of instability waves at inlet are evaluated by linear stability theory (LST). It is found that increased velocity and core temperature would increase amplification rates substantially and such influence varies for different azimuthal wavenumbers. The most unstable modes in thin momentum thickness cases usually have higher frequencies and azimuthal wavenumbers. Mode switching is observed for low azimuthal wavenumbers, but it appears merely in high velocity cases. In addition, the results provided by linear parabolized stability equations show that the mean-flow divergence affects the spatial evolution of instability waves greatly. The most amplified instability waves globally are sometimes found to be different from that given by LST.     

Experimental investigation of the role of instability waves in noise radiation by supersonic jets

Existing ideas of instability waves as the main dynamic noise sources in supersonic jets are tested for conformity with the data of acoustic measurements of this noise. Methodologically, the problem consists in the verification of the main principles of Tam’s theory of noise radiation by supersonic jets based on the ideology of instability waves in the shear layer of the jet and their key role in noise generation. Technologically, the study is based on a new technique for measuring the noise, namely, the azimuthal decomposition method developed by the authors. It is shown that on the Strouhal number range from 0.03 to 0.35 the theory satisfactorily describes the radiation pattern of the individual harmonics, while the initial amplitudes of the instability waves are in qualitative agreement with the assumption of their uniform distribution near the nozzle edge.     

On the inviscid acoustic-mode instability of supersonic shear flows

The same methods used previously to study acoustic-mode instability in supersonic boundary layers are applied to free shear layers, and new calculations are made for boundary layers with cooling and suction. The objective is to obtain additional information about acoustic-mode instability, and to find what features of the instability are common to boundary layers and free shear flows. Acoustic modes exist whenever there is an embedded region of locally supersonic flow relative to the phase speed of the instability wave. Consequently, they can be found in boundary layers, wakes, and jets, but not in mixing layers unless the flow is confined. In this first part of a two-part paper, attention is directed principally to two-dimensional waves. The linear, inviscid stability theory is used to calculate spatial amplification rates at Mach number 3 for the sinuous and varicose modes of a single wake flow and a single jet flow, each made up of the same mixing-layer profile plus a central region of uniform flow. Along with sequences of sinuous and varicose unstable modes clearly identifiable as acoustic modes, both of these flows, unlike the boundary layer, have a lowest sinuous mode that is the most unstable. The unstable modes include both subsonic and radiating disturbances with large amplification rates. The latter phenomenon is also found for highly cooled boundary layers with suction. In these boundary layers, suction is generally stabilizing for nonradiating acoustic disturbances, but destabilizing for radiating disturbances.The work described in this paper was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Support from the Aerodynamics Division of the Office of Aeronautics and Exploration Technology is gratefully acknowledged. A preliminary version of this paper was presented at the Fourth Symposium on Numerical and Physical Aspects of Aerodynamic Flows, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 16–19 January 1989.     

Effect of initial conditions on the near-field development of a round jet

This paper examines the effects of using different grids, placed at the nozzle exit plane, on the subsequent development of a subsonic round air jet. Modifications to the initial development of the jet are achieved in a passive manner by placing different grids at the nozzle exit plane. Time-averaged statistics of the velocity, including spectra, are combined with a numerical linear instability investigation. The grids suppress the initial shear layer instability whereas they damp the jet column instability. As a result, the streamwise decay and radial spreading of the perturbed jets are reduced. The instability analysis yields realistic values for the fastest growing instability frequency but incorrect growth rates.     

Global mode-based control of laminar and turbulent high-speed jets

The emitted noise from round jets is reduced using linear feedback controllers designed using structural sensitivity analysis. Linear global modes inform the selection and placement of the controller, and Navier–Stokes simulations are used to demonstrate effectiveness in a Mach-1.5 cold axisymmetric jet and in a Mach-0.9 cold turbulent jet. In both jets, each fitted with a cylindrical nozzle, the control reduces the radiated noise and modifies the baseflow in a way that enhances the relative amplitudes of low-frequency $\mathit{St}\approx 0.05$ global modes that do not have significant support in the acoustic field.     

Mode spectra of natural disturbances in a circular jet and the effect of acoustic forcing

A modal spectrum technique was used to study coherent instability modes (both axisymmetric and azimuthal) triggered by naturally occurring disturbances in a circular jet. This technique was applied to a high Reynolds number (400,000) jet for both untripped (transitional) and tripped (turbulent) nozzle exit boundary layers, with both cases having a core turbulence level of 0.15%. The region up to the end of the potential core was dominated by the axisymmetric mode, with the azimuthal modes dominating further downstream. The growth of the azimuthal modes was observed closer to the nozzle exit for the jet with a transitional boundary layer. Whether for locally parallel flow or slowly diverging flow, even at low levels of acoustic forcing, the inviscid linear theory is seen to be inadequate for predicting the amplitude of the forced mode. In contrast, the energy integral approach reasonably predicts the evolution of the forced mode.     

Development of the Strategy of Active Control of Instability Waves in Unexcited Turbulent Jets

The possibility of controlling instability waves in the mixing layer of a subsonic unexcited jet is studied. These waves can be noise sources in both free jets and jets as parts of configurations. In the study the method of experimental diagnostics of the instability waves in the near field of a jet using an azimuthal multimicrophone array is realized. The data on the near field fluctuations are used for testing the control strategy proposed by the authors. The strategy consists in narrowband sliding filtration of the original signal and the formation of a narrowband controlling action on the basis of the linear principle of signal superposition. The results of the study represent the next step toward the realization of an active control system suppressing natural instability waves in turbulent jets.     

Instability of a viscoelastic liquid jet with axisymmetric and asymmetric disturbances

The temporal instability behavior of a viscoelastic liquid jet in the wind-induced regime with axisymmetric and asymmetric disturbances moving in an inviscid gaseous environment is investigated theoretically. The corresponding dispersion relation between the wave growth rate and the wavenumber is derived. The linear instability analysis shows that viscoelastic liquid jets are more unstable than their Newtonian counterparts, and less unstable than their inviscid counterparts, for both axisymmetric and asymmetric disturbances, respectively. The instability behavior of viscoelastic jets is influenced by the interaction of liquid viscosity and elasticity, in which the viscosity tends to dampen the instability, whereas the elasticity results in an enhancement of instability. Relatively, the effect of the ratio of deformation retardation to stress relaxation time on the instability of viscoelastic jets is weak. It is found that the liquid Weber number is a key measure that controls the viscoelastic jet instability behavior. At small Weber number, the axisymmetric disturbance dominates the instability of viscoelastic jets, i.e., the growth rate of an axisymmetric disturbance exceeds that of asymmetric disturbances. When the Weber number increases, both the growth rate and the instability range of disturbances increase drastically. The asymptotic analysis shows that at large Weber number, more asymmetric disturbance modes become unstable, and the growth rate of each asymmetric disturbance mode approaches that of the axisymmetric disturbance. Therefore, the asymmetric disturbances are more dangerous than that of axisymmetric disturbances for a viscoelastic jet at large Weber numbers. Similar to the liquid Weber number, the ratio of gas to liquid density is another key measure that affects the viscoelastic jet instability behavior substantially.     

Interactions between pairs of oblique waves in a Bickley jet

We consider the weakly nonlinear spatial evolution of a pair of varicose oblique waves and a pair of sinuous oblique waves superimposed on an inviscid Bickley jet, with each wave being slightly amplified on a linear basis. The two pairs are assumed to both be inclined at the same angle to the plane of the jet. A nonlinear critical layer analysis is employed to derive equations governing the evolution of the instability wave amplitudes, which contain a coupling between the modes. These equations are discussed and solved numerically, and it is shown that, as in related work for other flows, these equations may develop a singularity at a finite distance downstream.     

轴对称射流场涡结构的离散涡段方法研究

本文用三维离散涡方法,模拟了轴对称圆射流涡结构的发展。     

The stability of low Reynolds number round jets

Multigrid cross-correlation digital particle image velocimetry (MCCDPIV) is used to investigate the stability and structure of low Reynolds number axisymmetric jets. The in-plane velocities, out-of-plane vorticity and some of the components of the Reynolds stress tensor are measured. Two Reynolds numbers based on the orifice outlet diameter are examined (680 and 1,030) at two different positions: one close to the orifice, ranging from 2D ₀ to 5D ₀ (D ₀ is the orifice diameter); and the other further from the orifice, ranging from 10D ₀ to 14.4D ₀. The results show that the lower Reynolds number jet (Re=680) is marginally unstable in the near-orifice region and is best described as laminar. Further downstream some intermittent structures are observed in the jet, and the growth in integrated turbulent kinetic energy with axial position indicates that the jet is also unstable in this region. For the higher Reynolds number jet (Re=1,030) the increasing size and intensity of vortical structures in the jet in the near-orifice region observed from the MCCDPIV data and the growth in integrated turbulent kinetic energy indicate that the jet is unstable. Further downstream this jet is best described as transitional or turbulent. From flow visualisation images in the near-orifice region it seems that, for both Reynolds numbers, shear layer roll-up occurs when the jet exits the orifice and enters the quiescent fluid in the tank, resulting in vortical structures that appear to grow as the jet proceeds. This is indicative of instability in both cases and is consistent with previous flow visualisation studies of low Reynolds number round jets. Discrepancies observed between the flow visualisation results and the MCCDPIV data is addressed. On the basis of flow visualisation results it is generally assumed that round jets are unstable at very low Reynolds number, however the present work shows that this assertion may be incorrect.     

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.      

Simultaneous PIV and thermography measurements of partially blocked flow in a differentially heated rotating annulus

A radial barrier has been mounted in a differentially heated rotating annulus that partially blocks the azimuthal flow component. The experiment can be seen as an analog to geophysical flows with constrictions, e.g., the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. However, the experiment has been carried out without a particular natural flow in mind. The main interest was to observe a baroclinic annulus flow that does not become saturated. Hence, in contrast to the annulus flow without a barrier, the partially blocked flow remains transient and surface heat fluxes associated with baroclinic life cycles can be studied. The annulus can be subdivided into the upstream half of the barrier, where waves amplify, and the downstream half of the barrier, where waves decay. In the upstream half, the azimuthal mean flow is moderate but with a significant positive eddy radial heat flux. In the downstream half, we find a strong jet in the mean azimuthal flow and furthermore an increased radial mean temperature gradient. The latter points to a weakened or even reversed radial eddy heat flux in the lee side of the barrier. Temperature anomalies appear as large bulges in the outer part of the annulus. Moreover, an outward shift of vortex centers can be observed with respect to centers of temperature anomalies. This phase shift between pressure and temperature anomalies differs from that of classical Eady modes of baroclinic instability.     

Helical Structures in the Near Field of a Turbulent Pipe Jet

We perform a finely resolved Large-eddy simulation to study coherent vortical structures populating the initial (near-nozzle) zone of a pipe jet at the Reynolds number of 5300. In contrast to ‘top-hat’ jets featured by Kelvin-Helmholtz rings with the non-dimensional frequency S t≈0.3?0.6, no high-frequency dominant mode is observed in the near field of a jet issuing from a fully-developed pipe flow. Instead, in shear layers we observe a relatively wide peak in the power spectrum within the low-frequency range (S t≈0.14) corresponding to the propagating helical waves entering with the pipe flow. This is confirmed by the Fourier transform with respect to the azimuthal angle and the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition complemented with the linear stability analysis revealing that this low-frequency motion is not connected to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. We demonstrate that the azimuthal wavenumbers m=1?5 contain the most of the turbulent kinetic energy and that a common form of an eigenmode is a helical vortex rotating around the axis of symmetry. Small and large timescales are identified corresponding to “fast” and “slow” rotating modes. While the “fast” modes correspond to background turbulence and stochastically switch from co- to counter-rotation, the “slow” modes are due to coherent helical structures which are long-lived and have low angular velocities, in agreement with the previously described spectral peak at low S t.     

Shear layer instabilities in low-density transverse jets

The near-field shear layer instabilities forming in round transverse jets of variable (reduced) densities relative to the crossflow are investigated through gas-phase experiments. Jets composed of helium and nitrogen mixtures are injected from a converging nozzle mounted flush with an injection wall into air crossflow, allowing the jet-to-crossflow density ratio S to be varied between 1.00, the equidensity case, and 0.14, at constant jet Reynolds number Re _j ?=?1,800. Jet-to-crossflow momentum flux ratios J are examined in the range $\infty>J\geq5$ at incremental values of the density ratio S. The results of single-component hotwire measurements in the jet shear layer indicate that a transition to global instability likely occurs as J is brought below approximately 10, and/or as S is brought below approximately 0.45?C0.40. This observation appears to link many previous independent studies of both equidensity transverse jets and low-density free jets, which may become globally unstable under alteration of J and S, respectively. However, the dynamical character of the transition to global instability in the low-density transverse jet displays differences under independent variation of J and S, which may indicate the predominance of different modes.     

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     

Combination interaction of Taylor–Goertler vortices in a curved shear layer of a supersonic jet

Problems of origination and evolution of streamwise vortex structures in an initial region of the shear layer of a supersonic jet are discussed. Streamwise vortices are generated with the use of artificial microroughnesses on the internal surface of polished nozzles. Results of Pitot pressure distributions measured in a supersonic nonisobaric jet both in the radial and azimuthal directions are presented. Streamline curvature in the initial region of supersonic nonisobaric jets has a significant effect on evolution of streamwise vortex structures. Azimuthal heterogeneity corresponding to streamwise vortices in the shear layer is analyzed with the use of both the Fourier analysis and wavelet analysis. PACS 47.40.Ki, 47.20.Ft, 02.30.Nw     

Weakly nonlinear EHD stability of slightly viscous jet

A weakly nonlinear approach is utilized here to study the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) instability of an incompressible viscous liquid jet stressed by an axial electric field. The linear motion equations is solved in the light of nonlinear boundary conditions. The viscosity is assumed to be small. The study takes into account both the shear and radial components of the stresses at the interface. In the linear theory, we discuss the breakup phenomena of liquid jets. Also, it is found that, the electrical shearing stresses have no effect at the linear marginal state, while the linear cutoff wavenumber depends on the electrical shearing stresses. A nonlinear perturbation method is introduced. This method can be described our problem precisely. The nonlinear stability is compared with the linear stability condition in the weak viscosity case. It is found that, the weak viscosity has effect on the nonlinear stability condition, in contrast with the linear analysis, whereas the nonlinear cutoff wavenumber doesn't depend on the weak viscosity in both the linear and nonlinear theory.     

Linear instability characteristics of incompressible coaxial jets

The present study deals with the local linear instability of axisymmetric coaxial jets with a duct wall separating the two streams. The flow is assumed to be locally parallel, inviscid and incompressible. The objective of the work is to understand how the various parameters describing this flow geometry (i.e. boundary layers thicknesses at the exit, velocity ratio, wall thickness) may influence the instability of the flow and, in particular, the convective/absolute instability transition. A specific family of profiles is chosen for the modelling of the mean undisturbed flow and a spatial stability analysis is performed in order to identify the unstable modes and to assess how they are affected by the wake region behind the wall. An absolutely unstable mode is found, and its characteristics, depending on the velocity ratio and shear layers thicknesses, are determined. Results show that the absolute unstable mode is present only for a limited range of velocity ratios and that the corresponding frequency is almost constant if normalized with the mean velocity and wake thickness. This frequency value and the extension of the range of velocity ratios is similar to those found in the experiments on a similar geometry. Finally, a specific velocity ratio is found that maximizes the region at the jet exit for which an absolute instability behind the wall is present. This may increase the possibility for the onset of a global mode that may sustain the instability of the whole jet, enhancing considerably the mixing and entrainment characteristics between the two streams.