Liquid flow and breakage behaviors of two liquid jets impacting on the wire mesh with different impinging angles

Abstract

The flow and breakage behaviors of two liquid jets is of great importance for liquid–liquid mixing and reaction applications. However, the flow behaviors and breakage processes of two liquid jets impacting on the stainless steel wire mesh (SSM) is not clear. In this work, the high-speed photograph method was employed to study the behaviors of two liquid jets impacting on SSM. Effects of impinging angle (2θ), liquid initial velocity (u0), mesh number (M), and liquid jet diameter (D0) on liquid flow and breakage behaviors were investigated. Experimental results showed that the jets of water-water impacting on the SSM were broken into liquid jets and further broken into daughter droplets. The cone angle of dispersion increased with the increase of 2θ, u0, M, and D0, and reached the maximum value of 180°. The average diameter of daughter droplets at 2θ = 90° decreased maximally by 32%, compared with the condition of 2θ = 30°. For two liquid jets of water-n-hexane impacting on the SSM, a liquid sheet was formed. Under different operating conditions, the breakage mode of liquid sheet could be divided into marginal breakup and internal breakup. The breakage model at mesoscale is the result of surface tension and inertia force, both of which are relevant to the complex impact and flow behaviors. The liquid sheet length (Ls) decreased with the increase of u0 and M. A correlation to calculate Ls/D0 was proposed and the calculated results lied within ± 15% of the experimental values. This study provided a theoretical basis for the guidance of mass transfer enhancement and the reactor design with liquid–liquid system.