Absolute and convective instability of axisymmetric jets with external flow

S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski

Citation: Phys. Fluids 6, 3000 (1994); doi: 10.1063/1.868126

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 Absolute and convective instability of axisymmetric jets with external flow
s. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
(Received 27 September 1993; accepted 9 May 1994)
The stability of an axisymmetric jet was examined in the presence of external co-flow and
counterflow. Spatio-temporal theory was used to distinguish regions of absolute and convective
instability in a parameter space including the velocity ratio, density ratio, Mach number, and the
shear layer thickness. The absolute-convective transition was identified for two distinct
axisymmetric modes. One of these modes became absolutely unstable in the presence of ambient
co-flow while the other mode required external counterflow to admit an absolutely unstable solution.
In general, the former mode was most unstable in low density jets, while the latter became more
unstable as the jet density was increased relative to the surrounding fluid. In the range of parameters
studied, both modes became increasingly unstable with decreasing jet density and for lower Mach
numbers. The results of the spatiotemporal theory are also compared to globally unstable modes
identified in laboratory jets.

I. INTRODUCTION direction opposite to the high-speed stream and had a mag-

Linear stability theory is a relatively mature science
which addresses the amplification of small disturbances su-
perimposed on a known velocity field. Historically the theory
examined whether monochromatic waves would grow tem-
porally for a presumed real wave number, or whether spatial
amplification of waves having real frequency was more ap-
propriate. In the last quarter century the simultaneous ampli-
fication of waves in space and time-spatiotemporal
theory-was considered in a variety of free-shear and wall-
bounded flows disturbed by an impulse. Gaster! wrote a note
on the relationship between the frequency and amplification
rates of temporally unstable flows and those of spatially un-
stable flows, identifying a unique transformation between
them for the case of small amplification rates. Betchov and
Criminale2 studied the spatiotemporal stability of the plane
inviscid jet and found singularities in the dispersion relation
for the combined mode, which Gaster3 later explained, and
further demonstrated that the most highly amplified waves in
time arise when the waves are traveling with real group ve-
locity and have real wave numbers. He also pointed out that
the most rapid spatial growth occurs when the waves are
traveling with real group velocity and have real frequency.
More recently, spatiotemporal theory has been used to
identify the complex-plane trajectories of modes having zero
group velocity,4-6 since these singUlarities in the dispersion
relation may lead to localized time-amplifying modes and
self-excitation. 7,8 FolIowing the general formulation of
Bers, 7 regions of absolutely unstable flow can be identified
when the mode having zero group velocity exists in the up-
per half of the complex frequency plane. Correspondingly,
when this mode passes into the lower half of the complex
plane the flow is convectively unstable. Huerre and
Monkewitz5 used a family of hyperbolic-tangent functions to
study the effect of coftow and counterflow on the absolutely
and convectively unstable nature of plane mixing layers at
constant density. They found that absolutely unstable flow
could be supported only in the presence of ambient counter-
flow, specifically when the low-speed stream traveled in the
nitude at least 13.5% of the high-speed stream.
Pavithran and Redekopp6 extended the results of Huerre
and Monkewitz5 to include the effects of density ratio and
Mach number on the location of the absolute-convective sta-
bility boundary in plane mixing layers. In qualitative agree-
ment with the general findings of Michalke 9 obtained using
spatial theory, Pavithran and Redekopp demonstrated that the
mixing layer became more unstable when the density of the
high-speed fluid was reduced relative to the density of the
low-speed fluid; they also observed that increasing the Mach
number of the high speed stream had a stabilizing effect. An
important conclusion of their work was that plane mixing
layers admit absolutely unstable solutions only in the pres-
ence of counterflow. This was true over the entire range of
density profiles and Mach numbers examined in their study.
The spatio-temporal stability of the circular jet--or axi-
symmetric mixing layer-has not received the attention
given to the plane mixing layer despite the practical motiva-
tions for the circular configuration. The most complete study
was undertaken by Monkewitz and Sohn lO (also see Sohnl!)
where the absolute-convective stability boundary was exam-
ined as a function of the jet Mach number, the density ratio
between the jet and surrounding fluids, and the thickness of
the shear layer relative to the jet diameter. The stability of the
axisymmetric mixing layer is fundamentalIy different from
that of the plane mixing layer owing to the boundary condi-
tions which must be satisfied on the jet centerline. Monke-
witz and Sohn lO discovered, for instance, that eigenmodes
became absolutely unstable in low-density round jets issuing
into a quiescent fluid, a situation which admits a convec-
tively unstable solution under analogous conditions in a
plane mixing layer. 6
The principal goal of the present study was to identify
regions of absolute instability for axisymmetric jets with ex-
ternal coftow and counterflow. This study has been motivated
by experimental work conducted during the last decade indi-
cating the connection between the local concepts of absolute
and convective instability and the global stability of spatially
developing laboratory flows. Pioneering work in this area

3000 Phys. Fluids 6 (9), September 1994 1070-6631/94/6(9)/3000/10/$6.00 © 1994 American Institute of Physics

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Axisymmetric
Nozzle
HG. 1. Velocity profile of an axisymmetric jet exhausting into an external
stream.
was carried out by Mathis et al. 12 and Provansal et al. 13 in
the context of the classic "vortex shedding" phenomenon in
the neighborhood of the critical Reynolds number. They suc-
cessfully demonstrated that the onset of vortex shedding was
due to a global instability which could be described by a
Hopf bifurcation. Koch,4 Huerre and MOnkewitz,5 Monke-
witz and Nguyen,14 Chomas et ai.,15 and others, later pro-
vided the theoretical framework describing the connection
between the local stability concepts and global flow response
observed in the laboratory.
The analysis of Monkewitz and Sohn lO indicating the
presence of absolute instability in low-density round jets,
together with the accompanying experimental observations
of jet global self-excitation by Sreenivasan et al., 16 Monke-
witz et al.,17 Kyle and Sreenvisan,18 provide further evidence
of the importance of the linear stability concepts applied to
spatially developing flows. These experimental studies also
exposed the possibility of using global self-excitation as a
means of efficient flow control. Recent studies in our
laboratoryl9,20 have explored the connection between spatio-
temporal theory and global flow control by using ambient
counterflow to achieve mixing enhancement in axisymmetric
jets. Our experimental work has been guided by the analyses
of Huerre and Monkewitr> and Pavithran and Redekopp6 in
the context of countercurrent plane mixing layers. The aim of
the present investigation was to extend this theoretical
framework by considering the effect of counterflow on the
absolute-convective transition in axisymmetric jets.
II. MATHEMATICAL MODEL
A. Equations of motion
The geometric configuration of the jet to be investigated
is shown in Fig. 1. The axial, radial, and angular directions
of the flow are given by x, r, and </>, respectively. Fluid of
centerline temperature T c and centerline velocity U c is sur-
rounded by ambient fluid having a temperature and velocity
given by Too and U 00, respectively, where the ambient flow
direction will be taken as either coflowing or counterflowing
to the jet fluid. Both streams will be considered as nonvis-
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cous and the ambient fluid is assumed to extend to infinity in
the radial direction. Only axisymmetric modes were consid-
ered in this study.
Let u, v, and w denote the velocities in the x, r, and </>
direction, respectively, and let p, p, and T denote the fluid
density, pressure, and temperature, respectively. The fluid
motion can be divided into two parts: a mean flow motion
which is assumed to be laminar and a disturbed fluid motion
superimposed on the mean flow. Let q be any quantity (u, v,
w, p, T, or p) to be calculated using Reynolds decomposi-
tion, then
q=Q+q', (1)
where the quantities Q and q' refer to the mean and dis-
turbed quantities, respectively. The mean flow is assumed to
be locally parallel to the jet axial direction (x direction) and
described by
U= U(r), V=O, W=O, P=p(r),
T=T(r), and ji=ji(r).
Note that all fluid quantities presented above are nondimen-
sional quantities. All lengths are made nondimensional by
the scale rlt2 which is the radius at which the velocity U* is
equal to the mean velocity U! = (U: + U!)12. All the ve-
locities are made nondimensional by the mean velocity
U! . The temperature and density are made nondimensional
by the ambient fluid temperature T'! and the ambient fluid
density ji!, respectively. However, the pressure is made
nondimensional by ji!U!2. The superscript (*) refers to di-
mensional quantities.
The velocity profile considered in this paper has the fol-
lowing hyperbolic tangent shape:
(2)
where b is a measure of the momentum thickness and R is
the velocity ratio defined by
(3)
The ambient velocity U is allowed to vary between - Uc
00
and + Uc' thus the velocity ratio will only take positive val-
ues. For ambient counterflowing fluids, R is greater than
unity (R > 1.0) and for co-flowing fluids, R is less than unity
(R<1.0). However, for no external flow (Uoo=O) R is equal
to unity. Note also that the centerline velocity and the ambi-
ent fluid velocity can be expressed in terms of the velocity
ratio R as Uc = 1 + Rand U 1- R. Figure 1 shows a typi-
00=
cal velocity profile for the case of 33% counterflow corre-
sponding to R=2 and b=12.S.
The temperature distribution is taken to satisfy the
Busemann-Crocco relation21 which yields the following ex-
pression for the density distribution:
S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski 3001
 S
per) (4)
1+[(1-S)/2R] (U-I-R)+[(y-l)/2] [(M)/(1+R)]2(R2-1+2U-U 2 ) '

where y is the specific heat ratio and M is the centerline jet By introducing Eq. (7), the equations of motions of
Mach number defined by M = Uc/ ~ yR g T Cl where R g is the small disturbances can be combined together to yield a sec-
gas constant and S = pJPoo is the centerline to ambient den- ond order ordinary differential equation in p only, thus
sity ratio. For heated subsonic jets S < 1.0 and for cold sub-
sonic jets S>1.0. It should also be understood from Eq. (4)
(8)
that U is equal to U(r) given by Eq. (2).
It is necessary to obtain a relationship between the mo-
mentum thickness and the parameter b. Here the momentum where
thickness () is defined by
(9)
- () __ J'm -p U(r)-U
- _ _
oo (
1- U(r)-
_ _U"') dr, (5)
rl/2 0 S Uc-Uoo Uc-U""
In situations where
and for constant density, and using Eq. (2), the momentum
thickness can be explicitly written as a function of the pa- 2 dU 1
---~-
rameter b as U-c dr r'
D
(j = 8b, (6) which is the case for a very small r, or for a very large r
when dU/dr tends to vanish, Eq. (8) has the following as-
where D = 2r 112 is a characteristic diameter of the jet. Be- ymptotic solution:
cause of its simplicity, Eq. (6) will be used for the definition
(10)
of D / () in all the results presented in this paper.
where eland c 2 are arbitrary constants to be determined
B. Linear stability theory from the boundary conditions, and 1m and Km are the modi-
fied Bessel functions of order m.
Following the analysis of Michalke,9 Reynolds decom- It is possible to combine the equations of motions to
position is used together with the mean flow assumptions to obtain a first order differential equation in only one variable
obtain the equations of motion of small disturbances, i.e., [rather than a second order differential equation (8)] by de-
neglecting nonlinear terms. The derivation of these equations fining a new variable X, which was first introduced by
assumes that the flow is laminar and a single component gas, Michalke,9 as follows:
that the fluid is nonviscous and obeys the ideal gas law, that
there are no body forces, no buoyancy effects, and that the . p
heat transfer due conduction is negligible. x= -la A (11)
V
Although only the stability of the axisymmetric mode
will be presented in this paper, the general form of three- thus
dimensional disturbances will be used to derive the linear
stability equations. It is assumed that the disturbed quantities dx ~-
~ = - a-p(U-c)
admit the following exponential form: dr
q' = q' (r, ify,x ,f) = q(r )ei(ax+m</>-wt), (7)
+x [ ---
1 (0 A +(m/r)2 x--
2
dU) 1]
+-. (12)
where a= a r + i a i and w= w r + i W i are the complex wave
U-c a 2p dr r
number and the complex frequency, respectively, and m is
the azimuthal mode number (m =0 represents the axisym- Since the pressure p and the velocity component ;; are
metric mode which will be considered in this study). The real bounded everywhere in the domain of calculation, the
wave number a r is related to the wavelength A by a r =2 7T/A, 0

boundary conditions for Eq. (12) are

and the angular frequency Wr is equal to 7T times the Strouhal
number based on the mean velocity and the diameter of the Sa 2 (1+R-c) Im(Acr)
jet. The quantity ai is a measure of spatial amplification, x---+ xc= - as r-+O, (13a)
where Wi is a measure of disturbance growth in time. The
complex phase velocity c is defined to be the ratio of W and a 2 (l-R-c) KmCAoor)
a, namely, c = w/ cx= c r + ic i ' where c r is the actual phase x-+x", = - (13b)
speed and c i is a measure of disturbance growth in time. The
quantity q(r) is introduced in Eq. (7) to distinguish it from where again the subscript c refers to values at the centerline
the total quantity q=q(r,o/,x,t) given by Eq. (1). of the jet and the subscript 00 refers to values of the ambient

3002 Phys. Fluids, Vol. 6, No.9, September 1994 S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski

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 fluid at large radial distances. The prime in the above equa-
tion refers to a derivative with respect to the argument. The
quantities Ac and Ax> are given by
'M)
Ac=a (1-L+R
2
(1+R-c)2
) 1/2
, (14a)
Aoo= a( 1-~ (1 :Rf(1-R-C)2 r /2
• (14b)
For given velocity and density distributions U(r) and per)
and for a given wave number a, Eq. (12) along with the
boundary conditions given by Eqs. (13a) and (13b) represent
an eigenvalue problem. Each eigenvalue c (or w) is associ-
ated with an eigenfunction X. This eigenValue problem will
be solved using the shooting method.
For a prescribed profile shape (defined by Die, S, R, M)
and a given wave number a and a guessed value of c (or w),
the shooting method typically starts the integration of Eq.
(2) at one boundary using a variable step fourth-order
Runge-Kutta method and marches towards the other bound-
ary, where a comparison is made with the expected boundary
condition. If the computed value of X by integration and the
boundary value of X calculated by Eg. (13) match, the com-
putation stops. If they do not match a new c (or w) value will
be guessed and the calculation is repeated until agreement is
achieved within the desired precision. However, this proce-
dure is not the most efficient. Mattingly22 suggested an inte-
gration procedure beginning at both boundaries and compar-
ing solutions at an intermediate location in the domain; for
example, Monkewitz and SohnlO selected the position of
r=1.0 as a point of comparison. If the computed value of X
at r=1.0 obtained by integrating Eq. (12) from r=O matches
the computed value of X at r = 1.0 obtained by integrating
Eg. (12) from large r [where dUldr is small enough to be
able to use the asymptotic solution; Eg. (10)] the computa-
tion stops. However, if they do not match an improved
guessed value of c (or w) will be taken using the Newton-
Ralphson method and the calculation is repeated until both
values will match within the desired tolerance (four signifi-
cant digits were taken in this study).
C. Criteria for absolute and convective instability
Many authors (among them Bers,? Briggs,23 Akhierzer
and Polovin,24 and Huerre 25) developed criteria for establish-
ing whether wave growth in an unstable system would
evolve locally or whether the wave would be convected
away from its origin during amplification. These concepts
lead to the definition of absolutely and convectively unstable
systems as will be discussed below following the criteria of
Bers. 7
Here we are interested in the evolution of an impulse-
type disturbance on the stability of axisymmetric jets, as the
effect of any other disturbance can be obtained through a
convolution with the solution of the impulse disturbance. 26
Two kinds of waves are of particular interest here: the one
with real group velocity having the maximum amplification
rate and the one with zero group velocity, where the group
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velocity is defined as vg=dw/da. We will denote by d and
wr the wave number and frequency, respectively, where the
group velocity is real and given by
dw(a r ) x
da t
and similarly indicate by aO and WO the wave number and
frequency when the group velocity is zero, so that we can
write dw(aO)/da=O.
The amplification rate of the wave motion is then given
by
(15)
In general, the wave packet is confined between two rays of
x/t=constant where the amplification rate 0-=0; the wave
motion is amplified within the wedge and damped outside
the wedge. If the wave of zero group velocity is bounded by
the wedge the flow is said to be absolutely unstable, other-
wise it is convectively unstable. For absolutely unstable
flows, waves from the initial impulse disturbance will even-
tually grow in time for all spatial positions x. However, for
convectively unstable flows the disturbance can grow and
propagate away from its origin, so that an observer posi-
tioned at a fixed location in the frame of reference of the
initial impulse wiII see either a continuous decaying distur-
bance in time, or an initially amplifying one followed by
subsequent decay. If the flow is completely stable, the distur-
bance will decay everywhere with time.
Bers7 showed that absolute instability occurs when
O<W;:S;;Wi(am ) otherwise the flow is convectively unstable,
where am is the wave number of the most amplified wave in
time. In addition, the saddle point must satisfy the pinching
requirement, namely, the saddle point must be formed by the
coalescence of an upstream au and a downstream al
branch. lO Thus the problem of locating the transition from
absolute to convective instability requires the location of
saddle point (aO,wO) and checking if the pinching require-
ment is fulfilled.
III. RESULTS
A representative map of lines of constant Wi in the com-
plex a plane is shown in Fig. 2, for a jet at M=O with a
centerline to ambient density ratio of S=2.S06 and a velocity
ratio of R =2. We note that for real a (ai=O), the complex
frequency has positive imaginary part Wi for 0:S;;a:S;;24.16,
thus the flow is temporally unstable. Pure spatial instability
exists over a range of frequencies w since the wave number
a is complex with a negative imaginary part ai for the
branches of wi=O. Thus the wave motion will grow in space
and time with an amplification rate given by Eq. (15). The
maximum growth rate of 0-= 8.33 occurs at a~ = am = 11.12
and af =0 where w r( am) = 1S.70 and Wi( an.} =8.33, which
is in agreement with the results of Gaste~ since aw;lacxr=O.
In fact, by starting at the origin and moving along the real
axis to the right, Wi will increase from zero to its maximum
value at am and will decrease after that as a r is made larger.
S. Jendoubi and p, J. Strykowski 3003
 o
...........
-- I OJ i =833

~------~~-----~~
..... ...- - -

0.8
..;, ,
\
:,.., \,
CD

-4 t(r)i :. , \
a..I
-8
ICl
0.6
\':.; "Q)
\
\
\@,,
"
-12
:. /l,,' I " •

004 : ' :,~ ,'"

~:': "', i -
:.; '\",/:

-20
: i'
.: .. "

0.2 ~.:
.....
-24
08

09
.....
"i~8.33
,. ......
~

-28
0 5
" . I'
10
........t....
15 20 25
a.r r

FIG. 3. Radial pressure perturbation eigenfunctions for R =2, S =2.806,

FIG. 2. Complex a plane for R=2, S=2.806, D/O=100, and M=O. D/O=100, and M=O.

Figure 2 also shows the location of nine saddle points the jet centerline, analogous to the eigenfunction distribu-
numbered from 1 to 9. The corresponding values of the tions present in plane mixing layers where the disturbance
saddle point coordinates are shown in Table I. Four of these amplitude must vanish at large cross-stream distances. Dis-
saddle points have w;>O (points 6 to 9), however, they do tinguished from Mode I, the eigenfunction distribution cor-
not meet the pinching requirement since they are formed by responding to saddle point 2 displays a maximum pressure
the coalescence of two downstream al modes. Also point 8 on the jet centerline and decays monotonically in the radial
and point 9 have frequencies with an imaginary part greater direction. Hence, the disturbance can communicate across
than Wi( am). Consequently, points 6 through 9 cannot lead the jet column and cannot be supported as a solution in the
to absolute instability. Points 2 through 5 meet the pinching stability of the plane mixing layer. The eigenfunction at
requirement but have negative imaginary parts indicating the saddle point 2 will be identified in this paper as Mode II.
presence of convective instability. Point 1, however, meets Modes 3 and higher will not be considered further in this
the pinching requirement and has w;=O indicating a bound- paper.
ary value between regions of convective and absolute insta- The disturbance velocities associated with Modes I and
bility. II are presented in Fig. 4, and reflect the general observations
The physical significance of saddle points 1 through 5 seen in the pressure distributions of Fig. 3. Velocity fluctua-
can be gained by examining the magnitude of the pressure tions for Mode I disturbances vanish away from the shear
disturbance per) as a function of the radial distance r; these layer and display a characteristic bimodal feature similar to
eigenfunction distributions are presented in Fig. 3, where the that observed in spatially developing shear layers?7,28 Notice
pressure magnitude is normalized by the maximum value of again that the disturbance energy for Mode I is essentially
the pressure. Simple eigenfunction distributions exist only zero on the jet centerline. Mode II fluctuations also peak in
for saddle points 1 and 2, in contrast to the higher order the jet shear layer, but maintain a significant amplitude along
modes 3 through 5 which indicate the presence of oscilla-
tions in the radial direction. Saddle point 1 displays peak
pressure near the interface of the counterflowing streams
(here t/,,= -O.33U c as shown in the profile of Fig. 1) and
decays away from the shear layer. For this mode-referred to
0.8
henceforth as Mode I-the disturbance pressure is not felt on
IMrlI
fimax.
0.6
TABLE I. Saddle point coordinates (R =2, S=2.806, and D/O=100).

Point (tlr 0); ar ai

004

17.500 0.000 8.517 -10.737

2 06.597 -1.739 0.808 -2.197 0.2 -
3 12.620 -4.035 1.267 -5.546
-3.lB6
- -Q)-
4 17.509 1.542 '8.965
_ _ ...1
5 20.764 -10408 1.656 -12.419 0
6 22.056 2.547 1.625 -15.799 0 0.5 1.5 2 2.5
7 21.458 7.215 1.550 ~19.082 r
i! 19.358 11.960 1.467 -22.290
9 16.275 160447 1.384 -250451 FIG. 4. Radial velocity perturbation eigenfunctions for R=2, S=2.806, DIB
=100, and M=O.

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 5 unstable for parameter combinations above the curves and
Ell Monkewitz et al.
• Strykowskl and Niccwn
4
I
R I
3 line of S=1 distinguishes between heavy jets (S>I) and
2 counterflow is required at all density ratios to achieve abso~
_....
.~.\.-.-.-.-.-.
Monkewitz &: Sohn
0 tions indicating the similarity in the eigenfunctions between
0.1 1 10
S plane mixing layers and the Mode I disturbance of an axi-
FIG. 5. Absolute-convective instability boundaries for Mode I and II distur-
bances for D/8=120 and M=O. Theoretical results of Pavithran and Rede-
kopp (Ref. 6) and Monkewitz and Sohn (Ref. 10) are provided for compari-
son. Locations of the onset of global self-excitation are provided from the
studies of Monkewitz et ai. (Ref. 17) and Strykowski and Niccum (Refs. 19
and 29).
the jet centerline indicating that this mode is unique to the
axisymmetry of the problem. Furthermore, we might expect
that a Mode II instability will lead to the formation of struc-
tures having scales of the order of the jet diameter. It is also
likely that changes in the mean velocity field in the shear
layer as well as on the jet centerline will alter the stability of
the Mode II disturbance. Finally, if we refer back to Fig. 2
we observe that Mode I is on the boundary between absolute
and convective instability where Mode II is only convec-
tively unstable. Hence, for the conditions examined here
(where R=2, S=2.806, Dle=100, and M=O) we define
Mode I to be more unstable than Mode II since the former
mode is more likely to become absolutely unstable with
slight variations in the parameter space. We will demonstrate
with the results presented below that Mode II can also be-
come absolutely unstable (Le., making w;
positive for saddle
point 2) by variations of R, S, Die, or M.
In the sections to follow we will examine the stability of
Mode I and Mode II disturbances in a parameter space in-
volving velocity ratio R, density ratio S, shear layer thick-
ness Die, and Mach number M. We view R as the principal
dependent parameter in the problem, and hence will evaluate
the velocity ratio at which Modes I and II undergo the tran-
sition from convective to absolute instability as a function of
S, Die, and M.
A. Effect of the density ratio
We begin our examination of the effect of jet density
ratio on the flow stability by restricting our study to incom-
pressible situations (M =0) for a representative velocity pro-
file having D/e=120. The principal density effects can be
elucidated by tracking the absolute-convective stability
boundaries of Mode I and II disturbances in the S-R plane
as shown in Fig. 5. The solid and dashed curves correspond
to Modes I and II, respectively, where the flow is absolutely
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convectively unstable below. Principal grid lines have been
included in the figure at R = 1 and S = 1 to identify important
half-planes. For conditions where R> 1 ambient counterflow
is required, and when R<1 the streams are co-flowing. The
light jets (S < 1) compared to the surrounding fluid.
Concentrating first on Mode I disturbances it is clear that
lute instability. This results was first observed in plane mix-
ing layer stability by Pavithran and Redekopp.6 Their
absolute-convective boundary computed for M =0 is pro-
vided in Fig. 5 and agrees very favorably with our calcula-
symmetric mixing layer. The slight disparity in the curves at
large S can be attributed to the finite transverse curvature in
the present problem where D I e= 120. Calculations to be pre-
sented below indicate that our boundary approaches that of
Pavithran and Redekopp as Die is increased further. For both
plane mixing layers and Mode I disturbances in the axisym-
metric mixing layer the flow becomes more unstable as the
jet density is reduced relative to the surrounding fluid; Le., as
the jet density is reduced, the magnitude of the counterflow-
ing velocity necessary to reach absolute instability is also
reduced. For instance, only 1.33% counterflow
(U oo = -O.0133U c ) is required to achieve absolute instabil-
ity at S =0.1, but more than 35% is necessary at S =3.0.
The Mode II stability boundary in Fig. 5 reflects the
general trend of Mode I, namely, that the flow becomes in-
creasingly stable as the jet density is elevated relative to the
surrounding fluid. However, as first demonstrated by Monke-
witz and Sohn,lO the low density jet supports an absolutely
unstable solution in the absence of external flow, Le., for
R = 1. This behavior is observed in Fig. 5 for Mode II distur-
bances at density ratios S<0.692, indicating that Mode II is
the eigenfunction identified by Monkewitz and Sohn. (The
slight deviations in the Mode II stability boundary and that
identified by Monkewitz and Sohn are due to differences in
Die, as addressed below, as well as the precise shape of the
velocity profile used in the analysis.) As the jet density ratio
is reduced below S =0.692 the absolute-convective transition
occurs in a region of ambient co-flow. Consequently, at
S=O.1 the transition would occur in the presence of a co-
f!owing stream having a magnitude of approximately 27% of
Uc ·
One significant feature of the stability boundaries in Fig.
5 occurs near a density ratio of unity. Here, as the density
ratio is increased, the most unstable mode switches from
Mode II to Mode I. This crossover point occurs essentially at
S = 1 for the conditions in Fig. 5, but in general is a function
of both Die and M as will be shown in the results to follow.
The intersection of mode boundaries, however, does explain
an observation made by Monkewitz and Sohn.lO By extrapo-
lating their results obtained for a round jet at S <0.72 to a
density ratio of S = 1, they predicted that the critical velocity
ratio was in agreement with the plane mixing layer calcula-
tions of Huerre and Monkewitz,5 implicitly assuming that the
modes were identical. It can be seen from Fig. 5 that this
S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski 3005
agreement was entirely coincidental, owing to the choice of
M =0 and the relatively large value of D / e used by Monke-
witz and Sohn.
We also compared the absolute-convective boundaries in
the S - R plane with the onset of global instability observed
in laboratory jets. Monkewitz et al. 17 examined the nonlinear
saturation amplitude in low-density round jets (S<l) issuing
into a quiescent environment (R = 1), and predicted the onset
of global self-excitation at two distinct modes having density
ratios of 0.63 and 0.73 in remarkable agreement with the
theoretical value of the Mode II boundary at S =0.692 shown
in Fig. 5. These authors point out that this agreement is to
some extent fortuitous given the expectation that global self-
excitation will occur only in the presence of a finite domain
of absolutely unstable flow, which would be unlikely in the 10
immediate vicinity of the absolute-convective boundary.tS
Experiments performed by Strykowski and Niccum 29 consid-
ered the global response of heavy jets (where S~l) by ex-
hausting mixtures of SF6 and air into a region downstream of
the jet exit where counterflow was used to establish velocity
ratios R ~ 1. The solid symbols and error bars indicate the
best estimates of the onset of global instability in heavy jets
and show reasonable agreement with the Mode I boundary of
the spatiotemporal theory. The apparent switching observed
in the experiments between Mode II and Mode I disturbances
for low-density and high-density jets, respectively, is consis-
tent with the expectation that the most unstable mode should
t!merge at any particular location on the S - R plane.
The branch point frequency and wave number for Mode
I and II disturbances are presented in Fig. 6 in the S-R 10
plane. The real frequency of the Mode I disturbance is higher
than the corresponding values at Mode II over the entire
range of density ratios examined. At the location in the S - R
plane where the two modes coincide, namely at S-l, the
frequency w;
takes values of 12.2 and 4.07 for Modes I and
II, respectively. These frequencies translate into Strouhal
numbers based on shear layer momentum thickness and cen-
terline velocity Sto of 0.014 (Mode I) and 0.0047 (Mode 11).
The global mode frequency of St o=0.015 measured hy
Strykowski and Niccum 19 at S=1 and R=1.32 in Fig. 5
agrees favorably with the Mode I disturbance frequency.
The global flow response in favor of the Mode I distur-
hance at the intersection of Mode I and II (at S = 1) is un-
doubtedly related to the streamwise distance over which par-
allel flow conditions could be maintained in the experiments.
Measurements hy Strykowski and Niccum indicate that 10
counterflow was established only in the first one or two jet
diameters; downstream of this location the velocity ratio ap-
proached unity. Calculations of the disturbance wavelength '1\ FIG. 6. Branch point frequency and wave number for absolute-convective
from Fig. 6, given by '1\=21T/a;, indicate that the Mode I and instability boundary at D/B=120 and M=O.
Mode II wavelengths at S=l are 0.42 and 3.8 jet diameters,
respectively. The likelihood that a Mode I or Mode II distur-
bance would emerge in a laboratory flow depends on will lead to rapid changes in mode selection. To address this
whether the parallel flow assumption is approximately satis- issue we consider in the next section how the convective-
fied over streamwise distances of the order of '1\. These con- absolute transition is affected by spreading of the shear layer
ditions were clearly not maintained for Mode II in the ex- as described by the parameter D / e.
periments of Strykowski and Niccum, leading to a natural Finally, we compared the frequency selection of the glo-
flow selection of Mode I. The selection process will also bal modes observed by Monkewitz et al. 17 in low-density
depend on whether the stream wise variations in profile shape jets at S=0.63 and 0.73 in Fig. 5 (R=lJ. The branch point

3006 Phys. Fluids, Vol. 6, No.9, September 1994 S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski

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 5 160
-~. Model
~ -Modell
4
R
3
2 Instability
o ~~-....L _ _~_ .. _~_ ......... ~ .....• _.... _.
0.1 1 10
S
FIG. 7. Absolute-convective instability boundaries for Mode I and II distur-
bances as a function of DIB at M=O.
frequency calculated at R = 1 and S =0.692 from Fig. 6 is
w;=2.92 or a Strouhal number based on jet diameter and
centerline velocity of StD =0.46. Monkewitz et al. reported
frequencies of StD =0.30 and 0.45 for the global modes iden-
tified at S =0.73 and 0.63, respectively. The agreement be-
tween the calculated Mode II frequency and the self-excited
global mode observed at 0.63 suggests that the two may be
analogous. This argument is supported by the experimental
findings of Kyle and Sreenivasan. 18 They described the onset
of an "oscillating mode" in low-density jets for S"';;;0.61 and
having a frequency of StD ""'0.45. The likelihood of global
self-excitation is also greater at S=0.63 than at 0.73 given
the necessary condition for global instability of a finite re-
gion of absolutely unstable flow. IS
B. Effect of the shear layer thickness
As a jet develops downstream of a nozzle the mixing
layer will spread transverse to the jet axis while the jet half-
width will remain essentially constant in the region prior to
the termination of the potential core. Consequently, the initial
streamwise evolution of the jet can be modeled quite simply
through variations in the transverse curvature parameter D I 8.
Here we will examine how the absolute-convective stability
boundary is influenced by D I 0 as a function of density ratio
and velocity ratio. We again restrict our discussion to plane
wave disturbances of type Mode I and Mode II as described
above.
Regions of absolute and convective instability are iden-
tified in the S -R plane for Mode I and II disturbances in a
jet at zero Mach number in Fig. 7. All stability boundaries
display a monotonically increasing behavior with density ra-
tio as observed in Fig. 5 at D/8=120. Examining first the
behavior of Mode I disturbances. it can be observed that the
transverse curvature Df(J has essentially no effect on jet sta-
bility in low density flow (i.e., for S<1) over the range of
DIO considered here. The effect of DI8 becomes distinctly
more pronounced at density ratios greater than unity, with
thin shear layers (e.g., DI8=160) displaying greater instabil-
ity than thick ones (e.g., DI8=40). Furthermore, as the shear
Phys. Fluids, Vol. 6, No.9, September 1994
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- - Present calculations
• Monkewitz and Sohn
120
ole
80
Absolute
40
Convective
Instability
..L-.-~ __
0
0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7
S
FIG. 8. Absolute-convective instability boundary of Mode II disturbances at
R=l and M=O. Solid points indicate theoretical values from Monkewitz
and Sohn (Ref. 10).
layer thickness is decreased relative to the jet half-width the
Mode I stability boundary approaches the plane mixing layer
results of Pavithran and Redekopp6 shown previously in Fig.
5.
In the range of transverse curvature 40",;;;DIO",;;;160 the
Mode II boundary also displays a relative insensitivity to
shear layer thickness for low density ratios. However, at den-
sity ratios above S=0.7 an increasing shear layer thickness
has a destabilizing effect, a trend opposite to that observed in
Mode I at high density ratios. When the density ratio is re-
duced below S=0.7, the Mode II disturbance becomes
slightly more unstable as shear layer thickness decreases
relative to the jet half-width; this trend will be explored more
completely in connection with Fig. 8 presented below. The
crossover point in the S -R plane where the most unstable
eigenfunction switches between Modes I and II is clearly a
function of D I 8 as seen in Fig. 7, although this dependence is
weak except when the shear layer becomes very thick. The
density ratios at the crossover points for DI8=40, 80, 120,
and 160 are S = 1.541, 1.123, 1.033, and 0.993, respectively.
For practical reasons the jet is often studied as it ex-
hausts into quiescent surroundings corresponding to R = l.
As Monkewitz and Sohn lO demonstrated in a jet at M =0, an
absolutely unstable mode is supported at sufficiently low
density ratios in the absence of an external stream, where the
value of S depended on the shear layer thickness relative to
the jet diameter. We explored the R = 1 cut in the S - R plane
at zero Mach number for Mode II disturbances where we
expect regions of absolute instability at low values of S. The
absolute-convective stability boundary in the D I O-S plane
is presented in Fig. 8. Consistent with the calculations pre-
sented in Fig. 7, the critical density ratio is virtually indepen-
dent of DIO for values of 40",;;;DI8",;;;160. This trend is
abruptly reversed for thick shear layers having values of DI8
less than approximately 40; the highest density ratio at which
absolute instability exists occurred at S=O.71 for DI8=52.
The stability boundary points computed by Monkewitz and
Sohn are also provided in Fig. 8 indicating the satisfactory
agreement between the independent calculations; the slight
S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski 3007
 5
--Model
- -Modell
4
R 0.6
3 S
M 0.5
0-
0.4
0.6'-1
2
/
/
.--
0
0.1 1 10
S
FIG. 9. Absolute-convective instability boundaries for Mode I and II distur-
bances as a function of Mach number at D/O=160.
discrepancies in locating the boundary are presumably re-
lated to subtle differences in the mean velocity and density
fields used in the computations.
C. Effect of the Mach number
Monkewitz and Sohn lO predicted that the region of ab-
solute instability would vanish at moderately high subsonic
Mach number even at very low density ratios for jets with
thin shear layers and without external flow. We address this
issue in more detail here by considering the combined effects
of S, R, Die, and M. To gain insight into the independent
effect of Mach number, we first consider the Mode I and II
stability boundaries in the S-R plane for a fixed transverse
curvature of D I e= 160. The absolute-convective boundaries
were computed for Mach numbers of 0, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 and
are presented in Fig. 9. Both Modes I and II become increas-
ingly stable as the Mach number is increased, a trend which
can be observed at all density ratios. Similar behavior was
documented by Pavithran and Redekopp6 over the same
Mach number range in plane mixing layers.
A striking feature of the stability boundary of Mode II
disturbances is the elimination of a region of absolute insta-
bility for jets with ambient co-flow. The R = 1 cut in the S-R
plane first intersects the Mode II boundary at S=O.1 for
M=0.718. In other words, at the lowest density ratio exam-
ined here of S=O.I, the flow admits an absolutely unstable
solution in the absence of external flow only for Mach num-
bers less than M =0.72. Note that the computations at
M =0.6 for Mode II disturbances were terminated at
S=0.760 since the real wave number of this mode ap-
proached zero; similar nonphysical solutions were identified
by Monkewitz and Sohn lO in this range of parameters. No
physical solutions could be found for Mode II at M =0.8 in
the range of density ratios S~O.l.
A closer examination of Mode II stability properties was
made to highlight the combined effects of Mach number and
Die for the important configuration when the jet exhausts in
the absence of external flow (R = 1). Stability boundaries
separating absolutely unstable flow (below curve) from con-
3008 Phys. Fluids, Vol. 6, No.9, September 1994
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Monkewitz & Sohn
0.7F=~";;;:::/-'_
0.3
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
M
FIG. 10. Absolute-convective instability boundaries of Mode II disturbances
at R = 1. Theoretical computations of Monkewitz and Sohn (Ref. 10) for an
axisymmetric vortex sheet are included.
vectively unstable flow (above) are presented in Fig. 10. The
region of absolute instability is relatively insensitive to trans-
verse curvature for D I e~40 extending up to Mach numbers
near 0.7 for the lowest density ratios examined. The results
of Monkewitz and Sohn lO are also included in Fig. 10 for a
vortex sheet (D I e-+oo) at R = 1. Their calculations are in rea-
sonable agreement with the present ones for the thinnest
shear layer case of Dle=160. In the limit of Die tending to
infinity we obtain a critical density ratio of 0.665 for our
profile at zero Mach number which is very close to the value
of S=0.66 computed by Monkewitz and Sohn.
In the presence of thick shear layers the region of abso-
lute instability is reduced appreciably, being confined to
small subsonic Mach numbers in jets with very low density.
Monkewitz and Sohn lO demonstrated that helical modes also
become absolutely unstable in the range of Mach numbers
and density ratios considered here, however for the vortex
sheet they considered the axisymmetric mode was found to
be the most unstable. However, a similar conclusion should
not be blindly extended to jets with thick shear layers. Batch-
elor and Gill 30 found, using temporal theory, that helical
modes become more unstable than axisymmetric one for jets
with Gaussian-type profiles. The present calculation need to
be extended to include helical modes to address this issue
which may be relevant, for instance, in plasma jets where
exit profiles shapes have been shown to be nearly parabolic
at a density ratio S-0.03 for moderate subsonic Mach
numbers?1
IV. SUMMARY
The spatiotemporal stability of axisymmetric jets with
external flow was investigated. Axisymmetric instability
Modes I and II were identified, both of which admitted ab-
solutely unstable solutions in certain regions of a parameter
space involving velocity ratio, density ratio, transverse cur-
vature, and Mach number. Mode I disturbances displayed
maximum pressure fluctuations in the jet shear layer,
S. Jendoubi and P. J. Strykowski
 whereas Mode II disturbances were found to have maximum
pressure perturbation amplitudes on the jet centerline. In
general, both modes became more unstable with decreasing
density ratio S, increasing velocity ratio R, and decreasing
Mach number M. The transverse curvature D / ewas found to
either increase or decrease the jet stability depending on the
mode type and the density ratio. Finally, the onset of global
self-excitation identified in laboratory jets agreed well with
Mode I disturbances in high density jets (S > 1) and with
Mode II disturbances in low density jets (S<l) indicating a
cross over between the most amplified mode at a density
ratio near unity as predicted by the theory.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank P. A. Monkewitz and L.
G. Redekopp for valuable discussions concerning this work.
Financial support was provided by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No. CTS-9U6532. A computing
grant from the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute is also
acknowledged.
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