Experimental Studies of Coaxial Jet Flows

Abstract

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of coaxial nozzle operating conditions on near-field jet plume development. The study was conducted in a low speed water tunnel as well as in a high-speed airflow nozzle test facility. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) techniques were employed to identify the flow structure as well as the mean velocity and turbulence structure of a coaxial nozzle under low speed flow conditions. Schlieren flow visualization, LDA and nozzle wall static pressure measurement surveys were performed in high speed flows. The effect of a nozzle shroud on jet development was studied and found very effective on suppression of the shock cells and on reduction of turbulence levels within the core region. The effect of the outer and inner Nozzle Pressure Ratios on shock cell structure and the nozzle internal wall pressure field were documented. LDA measurements in the water tunnel confirmed that the flow pattern produced of the Reynolds numbers and velocity ratios selected for this study was typical of practically occurring developing jet flow fields. Sufficient measured profiles of velocities, turbulence quantities and nozzle wall static pressures as well as jet plume images have been captured to serve as benchmark validation data for time-averaged turbulence-model-based RANS CFD predictions.