Modeling non-monotonic variation of plume angle with superheat index of flash boiling spray

Abstract

There is an urgent need for modeling angles and widths of liquid jet with internal phase change, but existing semi-empirical models rely strongly on coefficient fitting and lack a thorough understanding of the additional phase-change physics. In the present work, we proposed a theoretical model to predict the non-monotonic variation of plume angle with the defined superheat index of flash boiling spray. Assuming that the plume angle is determined by the trajectories of tiny droplets in the perimeter of the spray, this model identifies the angle with the inverse tangent of the ratio of the streamwise and crosswise velocities of the tiny droplets. The streamwise velocity is determined by solving a one-dimensional two-phase flow within the channel, and the crosswise velocity is determined by modeling the burst of an equivalent bubble at the exit of the nozzle. Compared with the existing semi-empirical models, this model is free of fitting parameters, and it agrees well with the experimental data from a rectangular microchannel with discrepancies being sufficiently discussed. This model has the potential of being applied to modeling the plume angle of flash boiling sprays with different nozzle geometries in various atomization practices.