Mixing Enhancement by Tabs in Round Supersonic Jets

The objective of this study was to analyze jet plume mass flow entrainment rates associated with the introduction of counter-rotating streamwise vorticity by prism shaped devices (tabs) located at the lip of the nozzle. We have examined the resulting mixing process through coordinated experimental tests and numerical simulations of the supersonic flow from a model axisymmetric nozzle. In the numerical simulations, the total induced vorticity was held constant while varying the distribution of counter-rotating vorticity around the nozzle lip training edge. In the experiment, the number of tabs applied was varied while holding the total projected area constant. Evaluations were also conducted on initial vortex strength. The results of this work show that the initial growth rate of the jet shear layer is increasingly enhanced as more tabs are added, but that the lowest tab count results in the largest entrained mass flow. The numerical simulations confirm these results.