Liquid jet dispersion after impact on a highly curved surface

Abstract

A liquid jet impacting on a wire mesh is a phenomenon that occurs in such industrial applications as rotating packed beds or agricultural spraying. To derive a fundamental understanding of the behaviour of a dispersion generated by the whole mesh, a simple geometric case needs to be studied. This paper focuses on the dispersion of a liquid jet impacting on a single stainless steel rod studied with a high-speed visualisation. It is found that two liquid sheets are formed with sheet characteristics described by a dispersion angle αe, a sheet velocity vs, and a breakup length Lb. Three stages of the angular development of the dispersion are observed based on the liquid flow rate and the exit orifice diameter. A correlation for the dispersion angle growth is proposed based on the experimental results. Perforated, segmented and wave-assisted sheet breakup regimes are found in the recorded images with their presence dependent on the impact velocity. A correlation for the breakup length is proposed for the sheets based on similarities with flat fan nozzle theory.