An experimental study on jets issuing from elliptic inclined nozzles

Abstract

This paper reports on an experimental flow visualisation and digital particle image velocimetry investigation on forced jets exhausting from aspect ratio equal to three elliptic nozzles with exits inclined at 30° and 60°. Flow images show that shear layer instabilities and subsequent vortex roll-ups are formed parallel to the inclined nozzle exits at 30° incline and that rapid re-orientation of the vortex roll-ups occurs at 60° incline. Flow observations also show that strong axis-switching occurs in a non-inclined elliptic nozzle. However, 30° and 60° elliptic inclined nozzles produce significant distortions to and suppression of the axis-switching behaviour, respectively. As a result, flow stresses and turbulent kinetic energy distributions become increasingly asymmetric. Their coherency and magnitudes along the shorter nozzle lengths also vary significantly. This can be attributed to the dissimilar formations of vortex roll-ups and rib structures, as well as unequal mutual interactions between them as the incline-angle increases. Lastly, results also show that unlike circular inclined nozzles, elliptic inclined nozzles do not produce serpentine-shaped jet columns nor lead to significant lateral jet-spread at large incline-angles.