Improved Linearized Breakup Model for the Liquid Sheets Produced by Swirl Atomizers

Abstract

The performance of the swirl atomizers largely depends on the spray characteristics of the liquid sheets. In this context, a modified linear instability analysis accounting for the weak form of the centrifugal force along the flow direction is proposed and the breakup length of the conical liquid sheets is predicted. The investigation depends on the dispersion relation that covers both the viscous and the inviscid liquid sheets, with different wave modes (sinuous and varicose) and wave approximations (long and short). A newly identified transition zone across the long- and short-wave instability defines the liquid Weber number limit as . A breakup length relation accounting for the attenuating effect of the conical liquid sheets is formulated, and the results obtained from the theoretical breakup model were validated with the available experiment data in the literature. In brief, this paper elaborates the instability phenomenon in terms of relations and solutions. As found in the literature, this paper also notifies the destabilizing role of the density ratio and the stabilizing role of viscosity in the disturbance growth analysis.