Control of jet structure utilizing the change in the outlet velocity distribution with time

Abstract

Flow control using jets is widely implemented. In particular, the clarification of jet technology is indispensable in the control of the blade stall control of blades and for thermal management, such as refrigeration and air conditioning. As part of the fundamental research into the topics mentioned above, various studies of the flow characteristics of steady jets have long been conducted, and the structure of the jets investigated. However, studies on flow control by synthetic jets that essentially exhibit an unsteady flow have begun only recently. Synthetic jets have a flow wherein the jet structure forms downstream of the slot, although the net flow rate is zero, because of repeated ejection and suction. Attempts have been made to control of the jet’s direction of travel by adjusting only the jet’s frequency without any geometric changes. However, many aspects of the effect of oscillation characteristics on the jet’s structure are still unclear. Moreover, since the flow rate is low, it is not suitable for large-scale fluid control, such as that required for high-power fluid machinery. In this study, excited jets are proposed, wherein the velocity distribution change with time at the slot exit and the time-averaged flow rate are considered. An attempt was made to control the jet structure by means of the oscillation characteristics. The influences of the frequency and the phase of the slot outlet velocity distribution on the maximum jet velocity and the jet width were investigated by numerical calculations and experiments. Our research led us to conclude that the staggered vortex street is generated when the phase of the slot exit velocity distribution is π. Further, we concluded that the jet structure could be controlled by the frequency under a certain specific set of conditions.