Development and application of a point Doppler velocimeter featuring two-beam multiplexing for time-resolved measurements of high-speed flow

Abstract

A novel point Doppler velocimeter (pDV) based upon the Doppler global velocimetry principle is presented, which is capable of three-component velocity vector measurements at 100 kHz mean rates over extended time periods. In this implementation, two laser beams are multiplexed to illuminate the flow over alternating time windows, providing for a reduction in the number of sensors required. The implications of this multiplexing paradigm coupled with the fundamental limits set by the optical absorption filter are examined in detail, and uncertainties are predicted via instrumentation modeling and representative synthetic flow data. The results indicate that the multiplexing pDV instrument provides the required temporal and velocity resolution for turbulent shear flows at velocities of nominally 500 m/s. As a demonstration and validation of this time-resolved technique, statistics of three-velocity component measurements in a cold, supersonic, over-expanded jet at jet exit Mach number M j = 1.4 (design Mach number M d = 1.65) are presented. Time resolution up to 250 kHz and instantaneous velocity uncertainties between 6.6 and 11.1 m/s were obtained. Comparisons of mean pDV data with laser Doppler velocimetry data are consistent with uncertainty predictions for the technique. The ultimate value of the instrument is exhibited in the analysis of Reynolds stress spectra in the screeching jet, exposing the spatial development of motions at the harmonics of the screech tone, variable phase-coordinated shock motions, and growth of turbulent fluctuations in the developing shear layer of the jet. From the data presented, the screech tone phenomenon is suspected to be linked to the production of radial–azimuthal shear stresses in extended regions beyond the potential core.