The periodicity of droplets emanating from interconnected orifices

Abstract

The periodicity of droplets emanating from a single and from two orifices with a common fluid reservoir between them was investigated. Experiments were conducted in which the effects of variations in mass flow rate, orifice diameter and common reservoir volume were determined. The results reported herein indicate that dripping from an orifice at relatively low mass flow rates is singly periodic and that the period between droplets is inversely proportional to the imposed mass flow rate. A simple model of the singly periodic droplet emission process is developed and supported by the experimental results. Period doubling initiates and continues to develop with further increases in the mass flow rate. It is marked by the introduction of additional, smaller diameter droplets that are interspersed temporally among the larger, primary droplets. The presence of a common fluid reservoir volume between two orifices of the same diameter is shown for the singly periodic regime not to alter the droplet emission rate of either orifice as compared to its single orifice counterpart. The volume of the reservoir, however, does affect the mass flow rate per orifice necessary for initial period doubling, with this mass flow rate being lower for a smaller reservoir volume.