Transient characteristics of a typical vacuum ejector—An experimental study

Abstract

Using simultaneous measurements of unsteady pressures in conjunction with time-resolved Schlieren images and oil flow visualization, we investigate the characteristics of a typical vacuum ejector's starting transient, steady-state, and shut-down transient. With varying primary jet chamber pressure, the pressure evolution in the secondary chamber shows smooth, perturbed, rapid, and steady evacuation stages, as well as hysteresis and rapid filling stages. It is noticed that the evacuation in the secondary chamber is improved during stopping transient just before the unstart event. By using oil flow images, we illustrate the separation bubble characteristics during each stage of the vacuum ejector operation and their influence on the pressure evolution. Through cross correlation, it has been determined that the primary jet flapping during the starting transient causes the jet to attach to one of the diffuser walls. We also demonstrate that the primary jet undergoes both longitudinal and lateral oscillations in the starting transient, the former having a major effect on unsteadiness in the secondary chamber using proper orthogonal decomposition and spectral proper orthogonal decomposition algorithms and power spectral density (PSD). Simultaneous acquisition of unsteady pressures and high-speed Schlieren images allow us to correlate the frequency peaks (PSD spectra) in the flow. Using magnitude-squared coherence and cross correlation analyses, we confirm communication of unsteadiness and its direction of propagation between the secondary chamber and the diffuser. In this study, we demonstrate that a high ramping rate of primary jet chamber pressure reduces the unsteadiness in the secondary chamber during the transient starting phase.