Optimal propulsive efficiency of vortex enhanced propulsion

The formation of coherent vortex rings in the jet wake of a vehicle has been shown to increase the propulsive efficiency of self-propelled vehicles. However, the effect of varying vortex ring formation characteristics has not been explored for vehicles at Reynolds numbers comparable to autonomous or manned submersible vehicles. In this work, we considered a range of vortex ring formation characteristics and found a peak in the propulsive efficiency where the vortex rings generated are coincident with the onset of vortex ring pinch off. This peak corresponds to a 22\% increase in the propulsive efficiency for the vortex-enhanced wake compared to a steady jet.