Fuel distributions from pressure-swirl atomizers

Abstract

Measurements are made of the radial fuel distributions obtained with various types of pressure-swir l (simplex) atomizers, using a which comprises 29 sampling tubes placed 4.5 deg apart on an arc of 10 cm. The patternator is mounted in a pressure vessel 10 cm below the fuel nozzle with the nozzle axis located at the center of curvature. The volume of fuel collected in each tube is proportional to the fuel flow at the sampling point. The results of tests performed over wide ranges of fuel injection pressure and ambient pressure show that spray angles diminish with increases in ambient gas pressure up to around 0.69 MPa (100 psia), above which they remain sensibly constant. Changes in the fuel injection pressure have differing effects on spray-cone angle depending on the ambient pressure. At normal atmospheric pressure an increase in fuel injection pressure causes the spray angle to first widen and then contract. At ambient pressures above around 2 atm the spray contracts continuously with increase in fuel injection pressure. Measurements of circumferenti al fuel distribution show that some nozzle designs possess a high degree of uniformity, while others exhibit significant deviations from the mean value.