Liquid jet in a subsonic gaseous crossflow: Recent progress and remaining challenges

Abstract

This article reviews published literature on the characteristics of a liquid jet injected transversally into a subsonic gaseous crossflow. The review covers the following aspects: (і) liquid jet primary breakup regimes, (іі) liquid jet trajectory and penetration, (ііі) liquid jet breakup length, and (іv) droplets features and formation mechanisms. The focus is on analyzing the role of different prominent parameters which include gaseous and liquid properties, and liquid injector geometry. The review revealed that gas Weber number plays a crucial role in defining non-turbulent primary breakup regimes, while liquid jet Weber number is of great importance for the transition to turbulent primary breakup. Jet-to-crossflow momentum flux ratio is the most important parameter for predicting the trajectory, penetration, and breakup length of a liquid jet in a crossflow. The characteristics of droplets disintegrated during the primary breakup are mostly influenced by the nozzle exit conditions, whereas the characteristics of droplets produced via the secondary breakup are strongly dependent on the velocity of cross airflow. Although the review revealed that substantial progress has been made in understanding this complex two-phase flow phenomenon, there still remain several shortcomings which require further research.