An Experimental Study of Liquid Jets Interacting with Cross Airflows

Abstract

AbstractThe primary break‐up of liquid jets in cross flows has been studied experimentally. An open‐circuit wind tunnel was employed in which the airflow was generated by a centrifugal fan. The test section, positioned 3 m downstream of the fan, was made of clear acrylic resin to allow optical access and visualization. The working liquid used in the present experiment was an aero‐engine lubrication oil, which was injected perpendicularly into the air flow, via a nozzle placed in the top wall of the test‐section. The study of the primary break‐up mechanisms of the jet involved three parameters, the oil viscosity, and the jet and air cross flow velocities, which were varied independently. Two different break‐up regimes were observed and identified; arcade break‐up and bag break‐up. These were separated by a transition zone. Transverse and longitudinal (or streamwise) penetrations of the jet before the liquid breakup were also measured. The correlation proposed by Wu et al. to predict the jet transverse penetration before the break‐up of the liquid, as a function of the liquid/airflow momentum‐flux ratio, was found to be applicable only to liquids with low viscosity. An empirical extension to this equation has been produced.