Effect of Jet Velocity Profiles on Evolution of Wake Structures in Transverse Jets

Jet in crossflow (JICF) is a canonical flow configuration adopted in various mixing and combustion applications. A significant literature exists on various large scale vortical structure in this flow, namely the shear layer vortices and counter-rotating vortex pair. In comparison, wake vortices have received limited attention and are the focus of this work. Large Eddy Simulations of non-reacting jets in crossflow flow field are performed to characterize the evolution of the wake flow topologies. Spectral analysis is used to identify dominant frequencies and spectral character. Symmetry/asymmetry of the flow field is quantified, and the relative phase between convecting vortices is evaluated. In addition, the sensitivity of the wake structure topology to the jet exit velocity profile is analyzed by comparing results for a tophat and parabolic profiles. The flow field shows strong anti-symmetric behavior for the tophat profile, while the parabolic profile exhibits weaker asymmetry with evolving phase between the convecting vortices downstream.