Droplet Diameter Distribution Research Articles

Component Effects in Binary Droplet Impact Behaviors on the Heated Plate: Comparison Study of Ethanol/Propanol and Ethanol/Water Droplets and Observation of Novel Bubble Shrinkage Phenomenon

This work aims to investigate the effect of liquid physical properties on the behavior of binary droplets impact on the heated smooth aluminum alloy plate with a high-speed imaging system. Two groups of mixed solutions with similar boiling point differences are selected as the working liquid, in which the low-boiling-point components are both ethanol and the high-boiling point components are propanol and water, respectively. Compared to the ethanol/propanol binary droplets, the experimental results show that the ethanol/water binary droplets have diverse impact phenomena and significantly broad transition boiling regimes, as well as the reduced droplet residence time and increased Leidenfrost temperature point. With the decreasing ethanol content in ethanol/water binary droplets, these effects become more prominent. For secondary atomization, the ethanol/water binary droplet undergoes parent droplet breakup into fragment droplets with larger diameters (Ds > 0.3 mm). Both binary droplets produce satellite droplets with small diameters (Ds < 0.3 mm) by puffing and ejection. In terms of the ethanol/propanol binary droplet impact, the probability of puffing is higher and the satellite droplet diameters are small. In the ethanol/water binary droplet impact, the probability of ejection is higher and the satellite droplet diameter distribution is wider. When an ethanol/water binary droplet of 25 vol.% ethanol content impacts the heated wall at Ts = 120 °C, a novel large bubble shrinkage phenomenon occurs at the late stage of droplet evaporation. This phenomenon is proposed to be relevant to the increasing surface tension and saturation temperature with decreasing ethanol content, as well as the decreasing ambient temperature above the top surface of the bubble.

Air-blast atomization of a liquid film

Air-blast atomizers are extensively used for a variety of purposes. Due to its complexity, the atomization mechanism has not been elucidated. In this study, a mechanistic model is proposed to predict the droplet diameter distribution based on the atomization process of a planar liquid film with co-current gas flows, and its validity is examined by comparing the estimated and measured droplet diameters using high-speed image analysis and laser measurement. As a result, using high-speed imaging, we clarified that the bag film rupture is caused not by the turbulence of the gas flow but by the impact of floating droplets on the liquid film of the expanding bag when the film is thin enough. The average thickness of the liquid film at the bag breakup is of the order of micrometres and varies greatly, resulting in a dispersed distribution of droplet diameters. After the film ruptures, the bag film shrinks towards its transversal and vertical rims due to surface tension, forming large-diameter ligaments. During the contraction process of the bag film, tiny droplets of the order of micrometers are formed at the edge of the perforation. Finally, the remaining ligaments with large diameters fragment into large droplets with submillimetre diameters. The good agreement between the measured and predicted droplet diameter distributions validated the mechanistic model.

LES of autoignition process in a turbulent droplet-laden mixing layer – impact of an evaporation model and discretisation method

This paper focuses on the numerical modelling of the autoignition process in an ethanol-air mixture within a turbulent droplet-laden temporally evolving mixing layer, utilising the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method. We compare results obtained by implementing two notably distinct discretisation methods (second-order Total Variation Diminishing – TVD, and fifth-order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory – WENO) in the species and energy transport equations. Additionally, we examine three widely recognised evaporation models (the ‘ D 2 ’ model, the Abramzon–Sirignano model, and a non-equilibrium model based on the Langmuir-Knudsen law). For modelling the combustion process, we employ the Eulerian Stochastic Field method and a laminar chemistry model. The simulations encompass two droplet diameter distributions, one with low and the other with significant diameter non-uniformity. Furthermore, nine distinct initial conditions are considered. Our findings indicate that adjusting the discretisation scheme or the evaporation model can yield simulation outcomes differing to a substantial degree, similar to the impact of modifying the actual properties of the spray droplets or their initial distribution. This is particularly pronounced in the case of sprays featuring a narrowed droplet diameter distribution. We found that the Abramzon–Sirignano model results in the most rapid autoignition. The TVD scheme contributes to a more even spatial distribution of the evaporated fuel, consequently facilitating quicker evaporation and faster autoignition. Using the WENO scheme generates higher fuel vapor gradients near the droplets, leading to less intense evaporation and slower fuel transport in space.

Experiments investigation on atomization characteristics of a liquid jet in a supersonic combustor

The atomization characteristics of a liquid jet in a supersonic combustor were studied experimentally for the first time. A phase doppler anemometry (PDA) system was utilized for the measurement of droplets properties along the cross-sectional area of spray plumes inside the cavity. The results were obtained under the inflow conditions of Ma = 2.0 supersonic crossflow with a stagnation pressure of 0.55 MPa and a stagnation temperature of 300 K. The size and velocity distribution of droplet inside the cavity are obtained based on the PDA measurements. It was found that the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) distribution of droplets inside the cavity ranged from 30 to 55 μm. The average streamwise velocity ranged from −20 to 150 m/s and the average vertical velocity ranged from −20 to 30 m/s. Large droplets distribute in the central area of the cavity. Small droplets spread around the central area of the bottom and sidewall areas of the cavity. The area near the sidewall may be an ideal ignition location due to the lower SMD and velocity of droplets. The time-averaged motion trend of droplets in the cavity is proposed experimentally based on the streamwise and spanwise velocity distribution profiles of droplets. The presence of a recirculation zone within the cavity is confirmed. The recirculation area inside the cavity is mainly distributed in the front half of the cavity. The droplets in the cavity show a good tracking performance. With the effect of the airflow, the droplets in the top area of the cavity move toward the bottom and rear wall of the cavity. In addition, the droplets in the middle and bottom area of the cavity move toward the front wall of the cavity especially for droplets near the sidewall. These universal curves can potentially be used for the modeling of a liquid jet in a supersonic combustor.

The Effect of Film Development on Primary Breakup in a Prefilming Airblast Atomizer

Abstract Liquid fueled gas turbines are likely to remain a dominant force in aviation propulsion for the foreseeable future, and therefore understanding the atomization process is key to meeting future emissions and performance legislation. To make experiments and simulations possible, simplified geometry and boundary conditions are often used, for example, simulations of primary atomization often use a fixed film height and velocity. This paper aims to quantify the effect of a fully developed unsteady film on the atomization process. A custom Coupled Level Set & Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF) solver with adaptive meshing built in OpenFOAM v9 is used. A simulation of the atomization process in the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology atomization experiment (Warncke et al., 2017, “Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Primary Breakup of an Airblasted Liquid Sheet,” Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 91, pp. 208–224) is presented. A precursor simulation of the film development is used to provide accurate, temporally and spatially resolved inlet boundary conditions. These results are compared to previous CLSVOF simulations from Wetherell et al. (2020, “Coupled Level Set Volume of Fluid Simulations of Prefilming Airblast Atomization With Adaptive Meshing,” ASME Paper No. GT2020-14213)” using traditional boundary conditions. The unsteady film has doubled the modal ligament length and widened the distribution, and is now in better agreement with experimental measurements. A clear correlation in both time and space is observed between the film, atomization process, and spray. The sauter mean diameter (SMD) is significantly increased, again giving better agreement with the experiment. A discussion of extracting statistical descriptions of the spray is given, outlining the unfeasible computational cost required to converge droplet diameter distributions and other high order statistics for a case such as this.

Comparative Study of Droplet Diameter Distribution: Insights from Experimental Imaging and Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

The interfacial area between two phases plays a crucial role in the mass transfer rate of gas–liquid processes such as absorption. In this context, the droplet size distribution within the flow field of a droplet-based absorber significantly affects the surface area, thereby influencing the absorption efficiency. This study focuses on developing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to predict the size and distribution of water droplets free-falling in a transparent square tube. This model serves as a digital twin of our experimental setup, enabling a comparative analysis of experimental and computational results. For the accurate measurement of droplet size and distribution, specialized experimental equipment was developed, and a high-speed camera along with Fiji software was used for the capturing and processing of droplet images. At the point of injection and at two different heights, the sizes and distributions of falling droplets were measured using this setup. The interaction between the liquid water droplets and the gas phase within the square tube was modeled using the Eulerian–Lagrangian (E-L) framework in the STAR-CCM+ software. The E-L multiphase CFD model yielded approximations with errors ranging from 11 to 27% for various average mean diameters, including d10, d20, d30, and d32, of the liquid droplets at two distinct heights (200 mm and 400 mm) for both nozzle plates. This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights into the dynamics of droplet-based absorption processes.

Numerical simulation of spray atomization in crossflow using an empirical primary atomization model

The hybrid Eulerian-Lagrangian approach is used to simulate the atomization process of spray jet in subsonic crossflow. A coupled Volume of Fluid (VOF) - Lagrangian Particle Tracking (LPT) solver is implemented in the open-source platform OpenFOAM to solve the governing equations for the continuous and discrete phase respectively. An empirical model for primary atomization is proposed, in which the aerodynamic effect is taken into account, along with the turbulence effect. Thus, it is suitable for the flow at a low liquid-gas density ratio, i.e., less than 500. The performance of the presented model is evaluated and verified by comparisons of the simulated results with the experimental data. The flow characteristics of flow fields and distribution of droplet diameters are analyzed in detail. It is revealed that the vortex structures have a direct impact on the distribution of the droplets. The effects of the empirical constants in the atomization model are also examined. Finally, it is shown that the model performs better for the flow at a higher Weber number, in which the aerodynamic effect is more significant.

A method for the prediction of the atomization diameter distribution of the spray generated by swirl nozzles

Atomization is an indispensable process for achieving high-efficiency conversion in various energy applications. This study proposes a novel and simplified method to predict the droplet diameter distribution along the spray direction during atomization by swirl nozzles. The method considers the droplet breakup and coalescence and consists of three sub-models, i.e., the primary breakup model, the secondary breakup model, and the velocity model. The prediction method is verified by droplet sizing experiments using typical swirl nozzles. Combining the experimental results, the atomization process from fluid to droplets is analyzed in-depth. Results show that the present method can predict the droplet diameter distribution along the spray direction, with an average error of droplet diameter of approximately 7.7%. The effects of the orifice diameter and water supply pressure of nozzles on droplet diameter distribution are discussed. The droplet diameter decreases in the whole spray field as the water supply pressure rises. When the orifice diameter increases, the mass flow rate and Sauter mean diameter increase in the near-orifice region. However, the droplet diameter difference in nozzles reduces as the position is far away from the orifice. The proposed method can aid the design of some critical energy devices containing the atomization process.

The Primary Breakup and Atomization Characteristics of Liquid Jet in Crossflow at the Fixed Momentum Ratio and Weber Number

ABSTRACT The primary breakup behaviors of injected fuel were investigated by high fidelity simulation. The influence of various parameters on the breakup and atomization was analyzed at the fixed momentum ratio and Weber number. The results indicated that a simultaneous increase of the surface tension coefficient and the velocity of crossflow will hardly affect axial waves. The air density primarily affected the friction acting on the liquid column near the nozzle, while the liquid density affected the liquid flow in the liquid column to the sides. These variations lead to differences in breakup modes. The evolution of liquid column shape at different penetration heights suggested that the formation of sheet-like structures on the sides of liquid column was one of the main reasons for its deflection. The deflection of liquid column was enhanced by the increase of air density, and it was weakened at the increase of surface tension coefficient. In addition, it was also observed that for different parameters, the change of the boundary of spray plume in the y direction corresponded to variations in liquid column deflection. The diameter distribution of droplets generated by the primary breakup was predominantly influenced by density, with only a slight impact from the surface tension coefficient.

The Effect of Internal Combustion Engine Nozzle Needle Profile on Fuel Atomization Quality

This article presents the results of research on the impact of changing the cross-section of an atomizer’s flow channel, which is caused by changing the flow geometry of the passive part of the needle on the drop diameter distribution of the fuel spray. A three-hole type H1LMK, 148/1 atomizer with hole diameters, dN, equal to 0.34 mm, is analyzed. A nozzle with a standard (i.e., unmodified) needle and three nozzles using needles with a modified profile in the flow part of the needle, marked by the code signatures 1L, 2L, and 3L, are tested. An increasing level of fuel turbulence characterizes the needles during the flow along their flow part due to the use of one (1L), two (2L), and three (3L) de Laval toroidal nozzles, respectively, obtained by mechanically shaping the outer surface of the flow part of the spray needle. The spray produced is tested using the Malvern Spraytec STP 500 device cooperating with the dedicated Malvern version 4.0. During the tests, measurements and an analysis of the spray droplet size distribution over the entire injection duration, equal to 7 ± 2 ms, are made for each nozzle. The experiment makes it possible to determine the effect of the nozzle needles’ profiles on the time distribution of the actual droplet diameters; the time distribution of the Sauter mean droplet diameters, D[3,2]; the percentile shares of the droplet diameters Dv (10), Dv (50), and Dv (90); the distribution span during the development of the spray stream; and the time distribution of the shares of the droplets with diameters belonging to selected diameter classes D[x1−x2] in the spray. The results of the measurements of the drop diameter distribution indicate that using atomizers with a modification to the flow channel allows for an increase in the share of droplets with smaller diameters compared to the standard atomizer.

Experiment and simulation study on the characteristics of pressure swirl nozzle flash spray under the influence of superheat

The good atomization performance of the pressure swirl nozzle makes it widely used in the fuel injection device of the internal combustion engine. Flash spray caused by fuel inlet superheat can affect spray and combustion characteristics. In this paper, a spray parameter measurement system is set up, combined with phase Doppler particle analysis (PDPA) technology to research the effect of superheat on spray velocity and droplet diameter distribution. To improve the safety of the experiment, Methyl Nonafluorobutyl Ether (HFE7100) with a boiling point of 61°C was used as the spray fluid. The cavitation model and VOF model are used to simulate the pressure swirl nozzle flash spray. The results show that when the temperature changes from 40°C to 60°C, the velocity of spray droplets increases and the particle size decreases under the action of weak evaporation; When the temperature changes from 60°C to 70°C, the evaporation mode is dominated by flash, making the droplet velocity at the spray center greatly increase and the velocity distribution change from saddle-shaped distribution to unimodal distribution. The droplet diameter increases, which may be due to the expansion of the droplet caused by the formation of bubbles inside the droplet under the action of flash.

Acoustic modulation and non-contact atomization of droplets based on the Fabry-Pérot resonator.

A non-contact ultrasonic atomization based on the Fabry-Pérot resonator is proposed to obtain atomized droplets with a reduced droplet diameter and concentrated droplet distributions. To better understand the mechanism inside the acoustic chamber, the acoustic-fluid interactions are numerically explored inside the Fabry-Pérot resonator to achieve the precise modulation of droplets. The influence of the acoustic chamber's geometry and the ultrasonic properties on the atomized droplet diameter and distributions is investigated, aiming to establish matching relationships between the atomized droplet diameter and the geometry of the acoustic chamber. The dynamic behaviors of droplet breakup are observed with a high-speed camera to reveal the atomization mechanism of liquid droplets in high-intensity acoustic fields. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed non-contact atomization can achieve atomized water droplets with a median diameter of ∼24 μm, providing an alternative to ultrasonic spray.

Experimental study on the film droplet production from a bubble burst on the free surface

The aerosol released during a severe reactor accident may be retained in the liquid pool. During the venting stage of the suppression pool, bubbles generated in the pool will rise to the free surface and burst to generate droplets. The airflow re-entrains aerosols from the liquid to the air via droplets. Accurate evaluation of droplet entrainment needs to acquire the diameter and number of droplets generated by a bubble, so studying the various behaviors that affect the above parameters is necessary. In this paper, high-speed photography is used to visualize the phenomenon of a single bubble burst to generate film droplets in deionized water and TiO2 suspensions at different phase temperatures. Image processing is used to obtain the bubble film opening rate, the bubble burst position, the bubble lifetime, and the diameter and number of film droplets. The results show that the film thickness decays with time in a power law with a parameter of 2/3, and the newly defined film thickness also decays with time in a power law after considering the bubble radius and physical parameters. This rule is applicable in different liquid temperatures and solutes. Besides, the film thickness increases with liquid temperature and aerosol concentration; the bubble lifetime obeys the Weibull distribution, with the average bubble lifetime of deionized water varies non-monotonically with the liquid temperature, the average lifetime increase with aerosol concentration and liquid temperature in aerosol suspension; The average droplet diameter decreases with bubble lifetime in a power law with a parameter of 5/16, the droplet diameter distribution can be calculated by the gamma distribution of the normalized droplet diameter and the bubble lifetime, and in good agreement with the experimental data, the droplet entrainment factor can also be calculated from the critical droplet diameter and bubble lifetime, which decreases with bubble lifetime.

Distribution function and atomization parameters of petroleum fuels sprays: An experimental and numerical study

Heavy fuels are difficult to spray. To investigate the burning of this fuel and create an appropriate combustion chamber, one must first understand the atomization process and spray properties of petroleum fuels. The Diesel spray behavior compared to Mazut fuel spray gives us an understanding of the atomization phenomenon of fuels. The most crucial fuel atomization characteristics include droplet diameter, spray angle, breakdown length, and droplet distribution. The shadowgraphy technique is used to capture images of fuel spray, which are then processed using image analysis software. The size and speed of the fuel spray droplets are predicted using the maximum entropy method. From a pressure difference of 15 bar onwards, the rate of mass flow remains almost constant. The fuels spray cone angle initially increases, and after the flow approaches full atomization, it reaches approximately a constant value. The breakup length and droplets diameter decrease with increasing fuel temperature and pressure, and with the full development of the flow, they tend to almost zero. By raising the fluid's viscosity, the diameter size distribution of the droplets becomes more uniform and smooth (unlike velocity distribution). In this research, an attempt has been made to develop experimental and numerical methods to measure the powdering parameters of a heavy non-Newtonian oil fuel called Mazut and a light petroleum fuel called diesel, as well as to investigate the spray behavior of these fuels.

Right partial rainbow refractometry for measuring droplet refractive index and size

Rainbow refractometry can be employed for measuring the parameters of droplets or sprays. Considering the diversity of different measurement environments and droplet components, there are instances in experiments where optics fail to record the complete rainbow signal. To enhance the experimental data utilization, this paper investigates rainbow refractometry using the incomplete rainbow signal on the right side, focusing on its feasibility and accuracy. The concept that defines the incompleteness of the right-sided rainbow signal is termed as the dimensionless right signal partial ratio (RSPR). The study conducts a comprehensive analysis of refractive index, droplet diameter, and size distributions retrieved from the partial rainbow signals simulated by the Lorenz-Mie theory with varying RSPR values. For both partial standard and global rainbows, the critical value of the retrieval error is found to be whether the primary peak of the rainbow is preserved or not, i.e., RSPR = 1. Laboratory experiments verify the feasibility and effectiveness of employing rainbow refractometry with right partial rainbow signals. The study addresses the challenge of incomplete recording of rainbow signals in experiments, and is expected to improve experimental efficiency and data utilization.

The effects of aerosol concentration on the evolution, transport, and deposition of hygroscopic droplets in the highly idealized MT model: A numerical study

Inhalation therapy is widely used to treat various respiratory diseases. Nebulizers have been widely adopted due to their ease of operation, high drug delivery efficiency, and low residual volume. Traditional studies on drug delivery in the respiratory tract typically use a one-way coupled method to track drug transport and deposition for non-hygroscopic drug particles. However, neglecting the concentration of nebulized hygroscopic droplet aerosols can lead to significant discrepancies in the deposition efficiency (DE) of nebulized drugs in the airways. To investigate the effect of different nebulization rates on the evolution, transport, and deposition of droplets, a highly idealized mouth-throat (MT) model was selected as a testbed for the in silico trials of drug delivery to the respiratory tract. The interaction between continuous and discrete phases was modeled using a two-way coupled model of highly concentrated droplet aerosol-water vapor interaction, innovated by the particle parcel method. The effects of different coupling methods and boundary conditions on the average droplet diameter and droplet deposition distribution pattern at the outlet of the MT model were compared using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. Simulation results indicate that neglecting the effect of water vapor evaporated from the droplets on the relative humidity (RH) in the oral cavity could lead to a 2.2-fold prediction error of the average droplet diameter at the outlet of the MT model for a conventional nebulization rate of 0.386 g/min. As the nebulization rate increases, the difference in the predicted average droplet diameter at the outlet of the MT model between the one-way coupled method and the two-way coupled method also increases. Increasing the nebulization rate during inhalation therapy could lead to incomplete evaporation of drug droplets, resulting in deposition of larger diameter drug droplets in the oral cavity. In contrast, a lower nebulization rate can reduce the droplet diameter at the outlet of the MT model, allowing it to enter deeper airways.

Formation of a Spray of Conducting Liquid under High Voltage and Electrical Discharge Plasma

The joint impact of an electrical discharge and a gas–droplet flow of a conducting liquid created by a centrifugal nozzle is studied. In the experiment, the electrical parameters of the discharge are recorded, and the local characteristics of the spray, namely, the droplet diameter distributions of the number of droplets and the components of their velocity vector are measured. The measurements are carried out using double shadow microphotography. The effect of a spray of a conducting liquid on the time-averaged electrical parameters of the discharge, as well as changes in the properties of the spray under the influence of high voltage and current, are studied. Additionally, the spray characteristics are measured when a high voltage of pre-breakdown value is applied. High-speed photography of a discharge in the presence of droplets of conducting liquid is carried out.

Using 2DVD technology to explore droplet characteristic variations of sprinkler irrigation as affected by a maize canopy

Canopy cover influences the water distribution and droplet characteristics of sprinkler irrigation, creating uncertainty in the design optimization of sprinkler irrigation systems. To evaluate the effects of canopy cover on water distribution and droplet characteristics of sprinkler irrigation, the radial distribution of droplet diameters, velocities, impact angles, shear stresses, and kinetic energies were investigated by an indoor experiment using a two-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD) with Nelson R33LP low-pressure sprinklers at three operating pressures (100, 200, and 300 kPa), three nozzle diameters (4.4, 4.8, and 5.2 mm), and two growing stages of the maize canopy. Additionally, the water application rates were measured by catch-can devices for each treatment. The results show that small droplets passing through the canopy converge into larger-diameter droplets and large droplets passing through the canopy break up into smaller-diameter droplets. The canopy cover significantly affected droplet kinetic energy and velocity and reduced shear stress by 2.48–96.09 %, which could minimize the risk of soil erosion. Meanwhile, an increase in the leaf area index (LAI) reduced the kinetic energy by 0.26–99.00 %. Canopy cover also had an obvious effect on the irrigation uniformity coefficients (CU). The CU without the canopy exhibited a significant linear correlation with the CU with the canopy. When the irrigation CU without the canopy was 62.00 %, the maize canopy at the jointing stage improved it by 16.62 %, and when the CU without the canopy was 88.47 %, the maize canopy cover at the jointing stage reduced it by 4.68 %. An increase in operating pressure improved the uniformity of the sprinkler by 0.57–151.58 % and reduced shear stress by 2.80–95.11 %. An increasing nozzle size increased the application rate and specific power. This study provides technical support for the design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Categorization of iso-pentane flashing spray based on morphology, thermodynamical and mechanical effects

Accidental release of superheated liquids is typically accompanied with hazardous flashing jets. Indeed, flashing jets undergo fragmentation into massive fine droplets, thus forming ideal circumstances for fires and explosion. To gain a deeper understanding of depressurized release, we studied the dynamics of iso-pentane at superheats of 40–80 °C and injection pressures of 0.6–3.0 MPa. The internal flow pattern and external spray morphology are visualized at quasi-steady stage using a high-speed camera. Results show that the flashing patterns can be classified into non-flashing, transitional flashing, and flare flashing arising from the interaction between thermodynamic and mechanical effects. The contribution of thermodynamic effect decreases as mechanical effect intensifies, due to the suppression of bubble nucleation and burst. We propose the index k, based on JaRp = k(WevOh)−1/7, to identify different flashing regions, i.e., k below 211 for non-flashing, k between 212 and 425 for transitional flashing, and k above 425 for flare flashing. Besides, the microscopic characteristics involving droplet velocity and diameter distribution are investigated and a new correlation for drop size is proposed, which is dependent on factors such as nozzle aspect ratio, mechanical force, and thermodynamic force. These findings should help to define policies to decrease the risk associate with flashing jets.

Coordination of distinctive pesticide adjuvants and atomization nozzles on droplet spectrum evolution for spatial drift reduction

Coordination of distinctive pesticide adjuvants and atomization nozzles on droplet spectrum evolution for spatial drift reduction