2 results
Optimal growth over a time-evolving variable-density jet at Atwood number $\vert \textit {At} \vert = 0.25$
- Gabriele Nastro, Jérôme Fontane, Laurent Joly
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 936 / 10 April 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 11 February 2022, A15
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Secondary instabilities growing over a time-evolving variable-density round jet subject to the primary Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability at Atwood number $\vert \textit {At} \vert = 0.25$ are investigated with a non-modal linear stability analysis. Despite local modifications of the base flow vorticity induced by the baroclinic torque, these disturbances experience a short-term universal growth due to a combination of the Orr and lift-up mechanisms, whatever the azimuthal wavenumber $m$. At $\textit {Re}=1000$, the secondary energy growth stems from the development of elliptical and hyperbolic instabilities, with an E-type-to-H-type transition as $m$ and $\textit {Re}$ increase, as in the homogeneous case (Nastro et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 900, 2020, A13). In the light jet at $\textit {Re} = 1000$, after the KH mode saturation, the high-$m$ H-type instability is replaced by a perturbation organised as counter-rotating streamwise vortices located in the base flow region of promoted strain rate. Increasing the Reynolds number up to $\textit {Re} = 10\,000$ yields larger energy growths and a strong anisotropy among energy and enstrophy components with a preferential increase of axial velocity and azimuthal vorticity. Both come from the linearised baroclinic source that drives the optimal response towards folded sheets of axial velocity that differ from those observed in the variable-density plane shear layers. When the perturbation is injected around the KH saturation time for $\textit {Re}=10\,000$, the response to optimal perturbation takes the form of fast growing secondary KH instabilities whatever $m$. We find these three-dimensional secondary KH instabilities to be good candidates for the transition to turbulence in variable-density jet flows.
Optimal perturbations in viscous round jets subject to Kelvin–Helmholtz instability
- Gabriele Nastro, Jérôme Fontane, Laurent Joly
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 900 / 10 October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 August 2020, A13
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We investigate the development of three-dimensional instabilities on a time-dependent round jet undergoing the axisymmetric Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability. A non-modal linear stability analysis of the resulting unsteady roll-up into a vortex ring is performed based on a direct-adjoint approach. Varying the azimuthal wavenumber $m$, the Reynolds number ${Re}$ and the aspect ratio $\alpha$ of the jet base flow, we explore the potential for secondary energy growth beyond the initial phase when the base flow is still quasi-parallel and universal shear-induced transient growth occurs. For ${Re}=1000$ and $\alpha = 10$, the helical $m=1$ and double-helix $m=2$ perturbations stand as global optimals with larger growth rates in the post roll-up phase. The secondary energy growth stems from the development of elliptical (E-type) and hyperbolic (H-type) instabilities. For $m>2$, the maximum of the kinetic energy of the optimal perturbation moves from the large scale vortex core towards the thin vorticity braid. With a Reynolds number one order of magnitude larger, the kinetic energy of the optimal perturbations exhibits sustained growth well after the saturation time of the base flow KH wave and the underlying length scale selection favours higher azimuthal wavenumbers associated with H-type instability in the less diffused vorticity braid. Doubling the jet aspect ratio yields initially thinner shear layers only slightly affected by axisymmetry. The resulting unsteady base flow loses scale selectivity and is prone to a common path of initial transient growth followed by the optimal secondary growth of a wide range of wavenumbers. Increasing both the aspect ratio and the Reynolds number thus yields an even larger secondary growth and a lower wavenumber selectivity. At a lower aspect ratio of $\alpha =5$, the base flow is smooth and a genuine round jet affected by the axisymmetry condition. The axisymmetric modal perturbation of the base flow parallel jet only weakly affects the first common phase of transient growth and the optimal helical perturbation $m=1$ dominates with energy gains considerably larger than those of larger azimuthal wavenumbers whatever the horizon time.