Primary and secondary vortical structures contribution in the entrainment of low Reynolds number jet flows

Particle image velocimetry measurements and time-resolved visualization are used for the reconstruction of the Kelvin–Helmholtz vortex passing in the near field of a round jet and of a lobed jet. For the round jet, the entrainment is produced in the braid region, where streamwise structures develop. In the Kelvin–Helmholtz ring, entrainment is dramatically affected by the attenuation of the streamwise structures. As for the lobed jet, the special geometry introduces a transverse shear leading to a breakdown of the Kelvin–Helmholtz structures into “ring segments.” Streamwise structures continuously develop at the resulting discontinuity regions and control the lobed jet self-induction. In this case, the entrainment rate is less affected by the primary structures dynamics.