The present study involves the shock wave and consequent vortex loop generated when a shock tube with various nozzle geometries is employed. It aims to provide quantitative and qualitative insight into the physics of these compressible phenomena. The geometries included two elliptic nozzles with minor to major axis ratios of 0.4 and 0.6, a 15 mm circular nozzle and a 30 × 30 mm square nozzle. The experiments were performed for driver gas (air) pressures of 4, 8 and 12 bar.Schlieren, shadowgraphy, and PIV techniques were employed to visualise and quantify the induced flow field.