Abstract
In order to improve the inadequacy of the current research on oil droplet size distribution in aero-engine bearing chamber, the influence of oil droplet size distribution with the oil droplets coalescence and breakup is analyzed by using the computational fluid dynamics-population balance model (CFD-PBM). The Euler–Euler equation and population balance equation are solved in Fluent software. The distribution of the gas phase velocity field and the volume fraction of different oil droplet diameter at different time are obtained in the bearing chamber. Then, the influence of different initial oil droplet diameter, air, and oil mass flow on oil droplet size distribution is discussed. The result of numerical analysis is compared with the experiment in the literature to verify the feasibility and validity. The main results provide the following conclusions. At the initial stage, the coalescence of oil droplets plays a dominant role. Then, the breakup of larger diameter oil droplet appears. Finally, the oil droplet size distribution tends to be stable. The coalescence and breakup of oil droplet increases with the initial diameter of oil droplet and the air mass flow increasing, and the oil droplet size distribution changes significantly. With the oil mass flow increasing, the coalescence and breakup of oil droplet has little change and the variation of oil droplet size distribution is not obvious.
Highlights
The bearing chamber is an important part in the aero-engine lubrication system
After the high-speed moving oil droplets collide with the wall, some of them are deposited to form the oil film, and others are splashed to form a large number of secondary oil droplets
Because the oil droplet size is very small, many secondary oil droplets are suspended in the bearing chamber under the action of the air phase flow field
Summary
The bearing chamber is an important part in the aero-engine lubrication system. The lubricating oil is shed into the bearing chamber in the form of oil droplet via under-race lubrication method [1]. Because the oil droplet size is very small, many secondary oil droplets are suspended in the bearing chamber under the action of the air phase flow field. The coalescence and breakup of oil droplets will affect the size distribution of secondary oil droplets and further restrict the research of flow and heat transfer in the bearing chamber. Ramkrishna et al [5] investigated the effect of coalescence and breakup of oil droplet on the size distribution by using the population balance model, and further studied the flow behavior of liquid–liquid system from mechanism. On the oil droplet size on distribution in the balance bearing model, chamber. The the air–oil two-phase model and the population balance model by Fluent numerical simulationflow of the coalescence and breakup processes ofare thesolved oil droplet in asoftware. Reference for referencethe foraccuracy further research ontwo-phase oil mist concentration test in the analysis, aero-engine further research on oil mist concentration test in the aero-engine bearing chamber
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