Streamwise vorticity generation and mixing enhancement in free jets by 'delta-tabs'

The effect of triangular tabs, placed at the nozzle exit, on the evolution of free jets is investigated. The effect, a large distortion of the jet cross section and a resultant increase in mixing downstream, has been inferred before to be due to a pair of streamwise vortices originating from each tab. In this paper, the generation mechanism of the streamwise vorticity (omega sub x) is considered first. Two sources are postulated. One is the upstream 'pressure hill', produced by the tab, which appears to be the dominant source. Another is due to vortex filaments shed from the sides of the tab and reoriented downstream by the mean shear of the mixing layer. In the case of a 'delta-tab', a triangular tab with its apex leaning downstream, vorticity from the two sources explain the stronger effect in that configuration. Data on the vorticity evolution for the effect of two delta-tabs are presented, up to twelve jet diameters from the exit, which show that the streamwise vortices persist even at the farthest measurement station. The magnitude of omega sub x-maximum decays continually with distance from the nozzle, its ratio to azimuthal vorticity maximum is found to be about 1/5 everywhere. The relative effect of a delta-tab on jets from an axisymmetric nozzle and a 8:1 rectangular nozzle is also studied. The mixing layer distortion is found to be less pronounced in the rectangular case. The jet mixing, as manifested by the mass flux measured at a downstream station, is increased in the axisymmetric jet but it is decreased in the rectangular jet under consideration by the delta-tab.