Study on the spray characteristics of transverse jets with elliptical nozzles in supersonic crossflows using the volume of fluid–discrete phase model

Abstract

The atomization characteristics of liquid jets injected transversely into a supersonic crossflow significantly affect the performance of scramjet engines. Existing research on this topic has mainly focused on circular nozzles, while the influence of nozzle geometry, particularly elliptical nozzles, has received relatively limited attention. Therefore, this study employs a numerical simulation method coupling the volume of fluid and discrete particle model to investigate the breakup and atomization characteristics of transverse liquid jets from elliptical nozzles with different aspect ratios under supersonic crossflow conditions, as well as the total pressure loss. The simulation model is validated against experimental data obtained from a pulse wind tunnel, including measurements of the liquid jet penetration depth and the Sauter mean diameter (SMD). The results indicate that for elliptical nozzles with an aspect ratio (AR) greater than 1, columnar breakup occurs earlier, and the columnar breakup length is shorter compared to circular nozzles. As the AR increases, the jet penetration depth decreases, while the spray expansion angle increases. Furthermore, the SMD of the atomized spray field from the circular nozzle is larger than that from the elliptical nozzles, and the SMD of the spray field is smallest for an elliptical nozzle with AR of 4. Finally, the elliptical nozzles exhibit a higher total pressure recovery coefficient, indicating reduced total pressure loss in the combustion chamber. This reduction in pressure loss is expected to improve the thrust performance of the scramjet engine.