Reynolds Number Dependence in Supersonic Jet Noise

Abstract

An experimental study of the noise production by high speed jets over a wide range of Reynolds numbers has been performed. Two jets of nominal Mach numbers 1.5 and 2.3 were run over a Reynolds number range from 5300 to 107,000. Microphone measurements of the radiated noise and hot-wire measurements of the flow fluctuations demonstrate that at low Reynolds numbers coherent flow instabilities produce a dominant portion of the noise. In the nominal Mach number 2.3 jet these instability waves convect downstream supersonically with respect to the ambient air. In the nominal Mach number 1.5 jet the instabilities convect downstream subsonically. In both cases however, sound pressure level amplitude contours show that the low Reynolds number jets radiate noise comparable to intermediate and high Reynolds number jets. These measurements constitute substantial evidence that a flow instability model of the dominant noise generators may be appropriate for conventional high Reynolds number supersonic jets. a0 C D d M m n r Re St u U Nomenclature speed of sound outside jet wavespeed in the downstream direction diameter of the jet effective diameter of the jet Mach number of the jet at the exit normalized mass velocity fluctuations = azimuthal mode number = radial distance from jet centerline = Reynolds number = p Ud/n. = Strouhal number =fd/ (/(/is frequency) = local velocity =mean centerline velocity of the jet at the nozzle exit