Performance of a 12-sensor vorticity probe in the near field of a rectangular turbulent jet

The design and operational characteristics of a 12-sensor hot wire probe for three-dimensional velocity-vorticity measurements in turbulent flow fields is described and discussed. The performance of the probe is investigated in comparison with X-sensor probe measurements in the near field of a rectangular turbulent jet with aspect ratio 6. Measurements have been conducted at Reynolds number Re (D) = 21,000 at nozzle distances of x/D = 1, 3, 6 and 11, where D is the width of the nozzle. The results obtained with the 12-sensor probe compare well to the results of the X-sensor probe. Distributions of mean and fluctuating velocity-vorticity fields are presented and discussed. Among the results the most prominent is the experimental confirmation of the high levels of fluctuating vorticity in the shear layers.