Boundary layer stripping of liquid drops fragmented by Taylor instability

Abstract

A model is presented to describe the breakup of large (∼ 1 mm diameter) liquid drops by shock waves such as occurs in the heterogeneous detonation of liquid fuel sprays. After passage of a shock, high speed gas flow is established about the drops with large Reynolds number, large Weber number and large ratio of Weber number to the square root of the Reynolds number. Under these conditions, a thin liquid boundary layer is formed in the windward surface of a drop and is stripped from the drop at its equator. The rate of mass loss from the drop is small initially, but is increased an order of magnitude by fragmentation of the original drop. This fragmentation occurs because of Taylor instability of the windward surface of the accelerating drop. Calculations based on boundary layer stripping, which include the increase in liquid surface area due to fragmentation, give mass loss rates in general agreement with experimental observations.