Design and construction of a computer controlled microthermcouple probe for the study of buoyant jets.

A computer-aided data acquisition system was developed and a microthermocouple probe constructed to obtain thermal distributions in turbulent buoyant jets exposed to a cross-flowing ambient fluid. The system performed high speed temperature measurements as a microthermocouple probe was automatically traversed through a sequence of preprogrammed positions under the control of a microcomputer. Operability of the apparatus was demonstrated by measuring temperature distributions in planes perpendicular to the streamwise axis of jets from which contour plots of temperature were generated. Using temperature distributions along with velocity distributions allow buoyant jet characteristics to be computed, including the entrainment rate of ambient fluid, jet trajectory, and heat transfer to the ambient. The experimental technique is discussed and temperature contour plots for a jet at various planes are presented.http://archive.org/details/designconstructi00matoLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited