CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 106Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanismsFluid Dynamics and Turbulent FlowsShip Hydrodynamics and Maneuverability

The DOI matches its Crossref record.

Vortex-enhanced propulsion

RUIZ, LYDIA A., WHITTLESEY, ROBERT W., DABIRI, JOHN O.·2011·Journal of Fluid Mechanics
DOI 10.1017/s0022112010004908
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

It has been previously suggested that the generation of coherent vortical structures in the near-wake of a self-propelled vehicle can improve its propulsive efficiency by manipulating the local pressure field and entrainment kinematics. This paper investigates these unsteady mechanisms analytically and in experiments. A self-propelled underwater vehicle is designed with the capability to operate using either steady-jet propulsion or a pulsed-jet mode that features the roll-up of large-scale vortex rings in the near-wake. The flow field is characterized by using a combination of planar laser-induced fluorescence, laser Doppler velocimetry and digital particle-image velocimetry. These tools enable measurement of vortex dynamics and entrainment during propulsion. The concept of vortex added-mass is used to deduce the local pressure field at the jet exit as a function of the shape and motion of the forming vortex rings. The propulsive efficiency of the vehicle is computed with the aid of towing experiments to quantify hydrodynamic drag. Finally, the overall vehicle efficiency is determined by monitoring the electrical power consumed by the vehicle in steady and unsteady propulsion modes. This measurement identifies conditions under which the power required to create flow unsteadiness is offset by the improved vehicle efficiency. The experiments demonstrate that substantial increases in propulsive efficiency, over 50 % greater than the performance of the steady-jet mode, can be ac…

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1017/s0022112010004908

Cites

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The unsteady jet produces vortex rings.

    “They also show that vortex rings are produced by the unsteady jet”

    From The efficiency of pulsed-jet propulsion (2011) · cites this paper as Ruiz et al. 2011

  • In pulsed mode, the wake is wider than the steady jet.

    “in pulsed mode the wake was wider than the steady jet”

    From The efficiency of pulsed-jet propulsion (2011) · cites this paper as Ruiz et al. 2011

  • At high motor speeds, the net energy required for pulsed propulsion is reduced by up to 30% compared to steady propulsion, as a result of vortex ring formation.

    “At high motor speeds there is a reduction of up to 30% in the net energy required as a result of the formation of vortex rings.”

    From The efficiency of pulsed-jet propulsion (2011) · cites this paper as Ruiz et al. 2011

  • Pulsed jet propulsion can be significantly more efficient than steady jet propulsion, even allowing for the additional power needed to create the pulsed flow.

    “They show that significant increases in efficiency are possible with the pulsed jet, even allowing for the additional power needed to create the pulsed flow.”

    From The efficiency of pulsed-jet propulsion (2011) · cites this paper as Ruiz et al. 2011

  • The steady propulsor produces a turbulent jet.

    “the steady propulsor produced a turbulent jet”

    From The efficiency of pulsed-jet propulsion (2011) · cites this paper as Ruiz et al. 2011

Citations

Cites

No references could be resolved yet.

Research works printed but not linked: 42

  1. Lockwood R. M. 1961 Interim summary report on investigation of the process of energy transfer from an intermittent jet to secondary fluid in an ejector-type thrust augmenter. Hiller Aircraft Rep. ARD-286. · DOI
  2. Breslin, 1996, Hydrodynamics of Ship Propellers
  3. Choutapalli I. M. , Alkislar M. B. , Krothapalli A. & Lourenco L. M. 2005 An experimental study of pulsed jet ejector. AIAA paper 2005-1208. · DOI
  4. 10.1088/1748-3182/5/3/036003 · DOI
  5. Narita, 1981, Development and full-scale experiences of a novel integrated duct propeller, Trans. SNAME, 89, 319
  6. 10.1017/S0022112005007585 · DOI
  7. Cox B. D. & Reed A. M. 1988 Contrarotating propellers: design theory and applications. In Proceedings of the Propellers '88 Symposium, pp. 15.1–15.29.
  8. 10.1017/S0022112089002843 · DOI
  9. Hoerner, 1965, Fluid-Dynamic Drag.
  10. Prandtl, 1934, Applied Hydro- and Aeromechanics
  11. Prandtl, 1952, Essentials of Fluid Dynamics
  12. 10.1007/978-3-642-85829-1 · DOI
  13. 10.1146/annurev.fluid.35.101101.161128 · DOI
  14. Houghton, 2003, Aerodynamics
  15. 10.1109/JOE.2008.920171 · DOI
  16. 10.1098/rsta.1894.0006 · DOI
  17. 10.1017/S0022112073001266 · DOI
  18. Glover, 1987, Propulsive devices for improved propulsive efficiency, Trans. Inst. Mar. Engrs, 99, 23
  19. 10.1016/0376-0421(62)90017-9 · DOI
  20. Grothues-Spork, 1988, Bilge vortex control devices and their benefits for propulsion, Intl Shipbuilding Prog., 35, 183
  21. 10.1063/1.1564600 · DOI
  22. 10.1017/S0022112072001041 · DOI
  23. Hadler, 1969, Contrarotating propeller propulsion: a state-of-the-art report, Mar. Tech., 6, 281
  24. 10.1146/annurev.fl.28.010196.002401 · DOI
  25. 10.1146/annurev.fluid.010908.165232 · DOI
  26. 10.1063/1.2189885 · DOI
  27. Blaurock, 1990, An appraisal of unconventional aftbody configurations and propulsion devices, Mar. Tech., 27, 325
  28. 10.1017/CBO9780511800955 · DOI · Paper page
  29. 10.1017/S0022112004009784 · DOI
  30. Krueger P. S. 2001 The significance of vortex ring formation and nozzle exit over-pressure to pulsatile jet propulsion. PhD thesis, California Institute of Technology.
  31. Saffman, 1992, Vortex Dynamics
  32. Grim, 1980, Propeller and vane wheel, J. Ship Res., 24, 203, 10.5957/jsr.1980.24.4.203 · DOI
  33. 10.1017/S0022112008004734 · DOI
  34. 10.1017/S0022112097008410 · DOI · Paper page
  35. Binder G. & Didelle H. 1981 Improvement of ejector thrust augmentation by pulsating or flapping jets. Proc. AGARD Conf. Fluid Dynamics of Jets with Applications to V/STOL, Lisbon, Portugal, vol. 308, pp. 1–11.
  36. 10.1098/rspb.2003.2601 · DOI
  37. Paxson D. E. , Litke P. J. , Schauer F. R. , Bradley R. P. & Hoke J. L. 2006 Performance assessment of a large scale pulsejet-driven ejector system. NASA Tech. Memo. 2006-214224. · DOI
  38. Wu, 1962, Flow through a heavily loaded actuator disc, Schiffstechnik, 9, 134
  39. 10.2514/1.9978 · DOI
  40. 10.1007/s00348-007-0397-9 · DOI
  41. 10.1007/s00332-004-0650-9 · DOI
  42. 10.1017/S0022112006009347 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Metadata

Authors
RUIZ, L. A., WHITTLESEY, R. W., & DABIRI, J. O.
Affiliations
California Institute of Technology (US)
Corresponding author
DABIRI, JOHN O.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2010-12-22
Volume
668
Pages
5-32
ISSN
  • 0022-1120 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-7645
DOI
10.1017/s0022112010004908
OpenAlex
W2149253787
Cited by
106
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 8
FWCI
13.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
  • Journal of Fluid Mechanics (publishedVersion)
  • CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent Flows
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Ocean Engineering › Ship Hydrodynamics and Maneuverability
Keywords
vortex rings, propulsive efficiency, entrainment, hydrodynamic drag, flow unsteadiness, bio-inspired propulsion, vortex dynamics

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review