Flow Structure of a Coaxial Circular Jet with Axisymmetric and Helical Instability Modes

Abstract

The flow structures in a coaxial jet with axisymmetric and helical instability modes for a comparatively low Reynolds number were investigated. The flow visualization and the measurements of velocities were carried out in an open water tank. In addition, three-dimensional numerical simulation of a coaxial jet was also performed using the commercial CFD software FLUENT 6.3. It was confirmed that the helical vortex was shed for the range of ratios of velocity of the inner to that of the outer jet from 0.5 to 1.0. Two characteristic flow regimes, i.e., axisymmetric and helical instability modes, were simulated in the flow field. For the coaxial jet with helical instability, the axial velocity along the centerline of the jet decreased more than that of the coaxial jet with axisymmetric instability. The axial velocity fluctuation at the centerline of the jet was small near the nozzle exit. However, the radial velocity fluctuation at that location increased. The convection velocity of vortices in the inner shear layer was larger than that for the outer shear layer. The convection velocity of vortices with the helical instability was slightly larger than that of the vortices with the axisymmetric instability. Consequently, the variation of velocity fluctuations and the convection velocity was associated with the arrangement of the vortex street in the shear layer.