The pinch-off process in a starting buoyant plume

The vortex ring formation process of a starting buoyant plume was studied experimentally using digital particle image thermometry and velocimetry (DPITV). The vortex ring was observed to pinch-off, or become disconnected, from the trailing plume. Pinch-off occurred at non-dimensional times, or formation numbers, between 4.4 and 4.9. The observed pinch-off process is consistent with an explanation based upon the Kelvin-Benjamin variational principle. This is analogous to the pinch-off of a vortex ring generated using a piston-cylinder apparatus, suggesting that pinch-off is a general component of the vortex ring formation process for various generation mechanisms.