The instantaneous velocity fields of coherent structures in coflowing jets and wakes

Abstract

The instantaneous velocity vector fields which surround the coherent structures of Perry & Lim (1978) in coflowing jets and wakes have been successfully measured and related to the smoke patterns for Reynolds numbers of order 1000. By the use of critical point theory, a qualitative description of the three-dimensional flow field can be made and is applied to the simplest structures which were classified by Perry & Lim. From these results, the convection of smoke and vorticity from the source and the entrainment properties of the structures are discussed.