Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation of Air-Assisted Fuel Atomization for Aviation Applications

Abstract

The project deals with an attempt of developing an advanced atomizer concept to control the spray formation for mixed spray combustion is examined. The aim is to improve the spray structure that preserves the flame height and modifies the width of the flame. The atomizer concept for development of a modified spray combines a swirling liquid film generation that is atomized by an external swirling gas flow. To investigate the main characteristics of the combined atomizer, experiments and numerical simulations of the flow operation with different geometric nozzle parameters (number of gas holes) and process parameters (flow rate of fuel and air ) as well as fuel properties are carried out to produce a modified, enlarged and steady spray of small droplets. In this work, fuel (kerosene) is used as the liquid phase and air as the gas phase. In the simulations, the multiphase flow is modelled using k-epsilon model with transient flow and the turbulence of the gas phase is 10% and fluid is used as dispersed medium and gas as constant fluid at Standard Temperature and Pressure (STP). The goal of the numerical simulations is to investigate the cone angle and flow behaviour of the fuel injector, impingement of surrounding air on the fuel is noticed and the morphology of the spray is examined and the fuel injector is made as prototype design and fabrication work is carried and tested in the laboratory and compared with the CFD analysis..