Smoke based visualization of turbulent swirl jet flow

Abstract

Abstract The present study deals with the visualization of turbulent jet flow from swirl nozzles. A low-cost turbulent jet facility developed was utilized for all the experiments. Two types of vanes are considered for the present study viz. flat vanes and airfoil-shaped vanes. All the vanes are fixed to a circular hollow hub at the center. The flow is visualized by seeding smoke from incense material as tracer particles. A solid-state laser with 405nm wavelength is used for the illumination via a glass rod thereby producing a laser sheet. Cross-sectional visualizations are made at various axial downstream locations. The effect of the vane angle has a greater influence on the production of jet flow vortices due to swirlers. The present study reveals that the increase in the vane angle increases the production of vortices.