Application of Rainbow Schlieren Deflectometry for Jets from Round Laval Nozzles Followed by Cylindrical Ducts

Abstract

The jet from a round Laval nozzle followed by a cylindrical duct with an inner diameter of 10 mm and a length of 50 mm is investigated experimentally. The Laval nozzle has a design Mach number of 1.5. Quantitative flow visualization of the jet issued from the duct exit is performed over a range of nozzle pressure ratios from 2.0 to 4.5 using the rainbow schlieren deflectometry combined with the computed tomography to investigate the jet three-dimensional structure. The flow features of the near-field shock systems in the jets are displayed with the density contour plot at the cross-section including the jet centerline. Effects of the nozzle pressure ratio on the density profile along the jet centerline are clarified quantitatively. In addition, a comparison between the present experiment and the previous one with a conventional Laval nozzle for jet centerline density profiles is carried out to examine the effect of the cylindrical duct. Furthermore, the three-dimensional structures of overexpanded and underexpanded jets are demonstrated with the isopycnic surfaces to visualize the internal flow features.