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.