Velocity field of isolated turbulent puffs

The velocity field of isolated turbulent puffs was measured using the particle image velocimetry technique and was compared with the steady jet flow field. Puffs were generated by injecting air through a 5 mm diameter nozzle into a flow chamber with a weak coflow. Isolated puffs with a Reynolds number of 5000 were examined in the range of 40–75 diameters downstream of the nozzle. The injection time was varied in order to assess the effects of injection volume and equivalent stroke ratio on the puff structure. The results from phase-locked measurements indicate that as the injection volume increased, puffs elongated in the axial direction and became similar to starting jets in the range considered. The largest scaled fluctuating velocities and turbulent shear stress within the puffs were twice the steady jet values. Inspection of the vorticity field revealed the presence of vorticity throughout the puff volume. Entrainment takes place on the portion of the puff closest to the nozzle and the entrainment rate is greater for the puffs with the smaller injection volume. This is consistent with the observations of rapid mixing and combustion of puffs in previous studies.