In this book, recent developments in our understanding of fundamental vortex ring and jet dynamics will be discussed, with a view to shed light upon their near-field behaviour which underpins much of their far-field characteristics. The chapters provide up-to-date research findings by their respective experts and seek to link near-field flow physics of vortex ring and jet flows with end-applications in mind. Over the past decade, our knowledge on vortex ring and jet flows has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to increasing use of high-fidelity, high-accuracy experimental techniques and numerical simulations. As such, we now have a much better appreciation and understanding on the initiation and near-field developments of vortex ring and jet flows under many varied initial and boundary conditions. Chapter 1 outlines the vortex ring pinch-off phenomenon and how it relates to the initial stages of jet formations and subsequent jet behaviour, while Chapter 2 takes a closer look at the behaviour resulting from vortex ring impingement upon solid boundaries and how the use of a porous surface alters the impingement process. Chapters 3 and 4 focus upon the formation of synthetic jets from vortex ring structures experimentally and numerically, the challenges in understanding the relationships between their generation parameters and how they can be utilized in flow separation control problems. Chapter 5 looks at the use of imposing selected nozzle trailing-edge modifications to effect changes upon the near-field dynamics associated with circular, noncircular and coaxial jets, with a view to control their mixing behaviour. And last but not least, Chapter 6 details the use of unique impinging jet configurations and how they may lend themselves towards greater understanding and operating efficacies in heat transfer problems. This book will be useful to postgraduate students and researchers alike who wish to get up to speed regarding the latest developments in vortex ring and jet flow behaviour and how their interesting flow dynamics may be put into good use in their intended applications.

Fluid Vortices is a comprehensive, up-to-date, research-level overview covering all salient flows in which fluid vortices play a significant role. The various chapters have been written by specialists from North America, Europe and Asia, making for unsurpassed depth and breadth of coverage. Topics addressed include fundamental vortex flows (mixing layer vortices, vortex rings, wake vortices, vortex stability, etc.), industrial and environmental vortex flows (aero-propulsion system vortices, vortex-structure interaction, atmospheric vortices, computational methods with vortices, etc.), and multiphase vortex flows (free-surface effects, vortex cavitation, and bubble and particle interactions with vortices). The book can also be recommended as an advanced graduate-level supplementary textbook. The first nine chapters of the book are suitable for a one-term course; chapters 10--19 form the basis for a second one-term course.

When a vortex-dominated flow interacts with a sharp density interface, the dynamics are characterized by the interaction of baroclinically generated vorticity with the already existing vorticity field. This can be seen in many natural and technology settings; examples are the interaction of a ship or submarine wake with a thermocline, the collision of a buoyant thermal with a temperature inversion, and the interaction of a vortex flow with a flame front. This problem also serves as a generic model for turbulent mixing and entrainment processes across sharp density interfaces. The interaction between vortices and a free surface, with corresponds to the case where the density jump is very large, has been studied fairly extensively, both experimentally and computationally. By comparison, the literature for the more general case of vortex pairs and rings interacting with sharp density interfaces is relatively sparse. Experiments and numerical studies have been performed, but the numerical simulations were confined primarily to vortex pairs, restricted to the inviscid case, and the effect of density variation modeled under the Boussinesq approximation. The experiments were also confined to the Boussinesq regime. In this paper, we study the motion of a vortex ring in a sharply stratified, viscous fluid via a numerical solution of the full Navier-Stokes equations with finite-amplitude density variation. both Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq flow regimes will be studied, the effect of viscosity on the interaction will be examined, and three-dimensional aspects of the motion will be addressed, such as Widnall instability of the vortex ring and vortex reconnection at the interface.