Experimental analysis of low-Reynolds number free jets: Evolution along the jet centerline and Reynolds number effects

The present paper analyzes the features of a low-Reynolds number free submerged jet with special regard to statistical quantities on the jet centerline. Measurements in an environment with very low disturbances allowed to observe details of turbulence and higher-order moments. Some peculiar features of the measured (natural) jet are shown to be in correspondence to observations referring to forced higher-Reynolds number jets. In particular, it is shown that, at low Reynolds numbers, the initial region of the jet is dominated by well-defined vortices in the shear layer. This result is substantiated by both the statistical moments and the spectral analysis. The presence of two distinct regimes is evidenced and discussed from a physical standpoint, also in relation to the mathematical analysis of the jet structure from the bibliography. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.