Lagrangian Droplet Research Articles

Numerical investigation of droplets-gas mixing performance in depth adjustable underwater launcher cooling chamber

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate structure parameters that influence the mixing process of droplets-gas in underwater depth-adjustable launcher cooling chamber and help engineers who design the launcher to distinguish the most important factor that impacts mixing performance in the cooling chamber.Design/methodology/approachEuler–Lagrangian droplet tracking method was used to simulate droplets-gas mixing process in the cooling chamber. The SST k-w model was adopted to simulate turbulence. Droplet breakup was described by KHRT hybrid model using modified contains which are more fit to the supersonic main flow condition.FindingsThe results show the counter-rotating vortex pairs which caused by injected liquid accelerate the mixing process. High-pressure supersonic freestream makes the liquid jet break into more small droplets due to the high momentum of the main stream. Axial injection angle has the greatest influence on Sauter mean diameter (SMD). Penetration height, SMD and total pressure loss slightly change in different tangential injection conditions. However, mixedness decreases with reduction of tangential injection angle due to a more limited space for spray developing. Enlarging orifice diameter raises penetration and mixedness greatly, while SMD and total pressure loss increase slightly.Originality/valueThe findings of this study confirm the key structure parameter to improve mixing performance in the cooling chamber. Engineers who design the underwater depth-adjustable launcher can refer the findings in this study to make control of launching power more accurate.

A Closer Look at Linear Stability Theory in Modeling Spray Atomization

The common Lagrangian-Eulerian modeling of liquid sprays is largely based on linear stability theory, where the associated growth rates and most unstable wavelengths are used in prescribing initial Lagrangian droplet characteristics. Using highly-resolved VoF simulations, the present work is aimed at examining the extent to which this linear stability and associated flow characteristics hold in a realistic spray configuration under normal operating conditions using the ECN spray A geometry. This involves a comparison between linear stability wavelength predictions, originating from two-phase Orr-Sommerfeld solutions, and those obtained from the VoF simulations. The results show that within the first 4 diameters beyond the orifice, the non-linear components of the Navier-Stokes have grown to 10% of the corresponding linear part in both the liquid and the gas phase, and continue to grow exponentially. The non-axial and non-fully developed flow profiles are particularly significant even within one diameter but do not develop as strongly as the non-linear components. Linear stability theory is able to adequately capture the initial surface disturbances, and there is reasonable agreement with VoF simulations, despite the fact that the base flow is not exactly the conventional one. A main finding from the work shows that while the most unstable modes are captured in the simulations and agree with theoretical predictions, these modes are not directly responsible for fragmenting the liquid core or causing primary atomization. Their action is limited to breaking up the surface of the jet, while the liquid core of the jet remains intact for another 20 jet diameters downstream.

Detailed SGS atomization model and its implementation to two-phase flow LES

A novel turbulent atomization model, which is physically closed itself and free of case-by-case parameter tuning using experimental data, has been formulated and demonstrated in the framework of turbulent spray combustion large-eddy simulation (LES). Based on our accumulated research findings that elementary droplet/ligament generation is a deterministic phenomenon, not something random as considered in the conventional understanding, the model describes two dominant modes of turbulent atomization, i.e. the turbulent resonant mode and the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) mode, in a physically straightforward manner. Extending the baseline theory proposed in Umemura (2016), to a hybrid turbulent spray LES formulation which includes both an Eulerian liquid jet core and Lagrangian droplets, the subgrid-scale (SGS) atomization characteristics are completely detailed in this study. Using the LES-resolved turbulent Weber and Bond numbers on the liquid core surface, the atomization mode and the SGS atomization characteristics such as droplet size, number, ejection velocity and core regression velocity are all identified locally, and the information is transferred back to the LES code as input information. Test cases of Diesel fuel jets demonstrate that the present formulation well reproduces the turbulent spray behavior. Thanks to the obtained detailed data, the spray formation process can be tracked both temporally and spatially, from the initial head formation with edge atomization to the later core atomization and spray spreading. It is essentially featured that the present turbulent atomization model works well without ambiguous user input, contrary to the conventional way of spray simulation. This is a significant breakthrough to urge paradigm shift in spray simulation, from unclosed/unpredictable to closed/predictable, which enables drastic improvement in the accuracy of spray simulation and may exert a large impact on both research studies and industrial applications.

CFD Analysis of the Fluid Particles Distribution by Means of Aviation Technique

Abstract The article describes a computational study, using CFD models, of droplet spray dispersal in the wake of a ‘Turbo Kruk’ airplane up to 500 m downstream. The CFD Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models use a Lagrangian (droplet phase) and Eulerian (fluid phase) procedure to predict the droplet trajectories trough the turbulent aircraft wake. The methods described in the work have the potential to improve current models for aerial spraying and will help in the development of new spraying procedures. In this study, the CFD models are used to describe the phenomenon of sprays released from atomizers mounted on the plane. A parametric study of the aircraft model examines the effects of crosswind on the aircraft’s vortex structures and the resulting droplet trajectories. The study shows, that such influence is underestimated in the current models. A comparison of the present results to AGDISP predictions is provided.

Investigation of Turbulent Entrainment‐Mixing Processes With a New Particle‐Resolved Direct Numerical Simulation Model

AbstractA new particle‐resolved three‐dimensional direct numerical simulation model is developed that combines Lagrangian droplet tracking with the Eulerian field representation of turbulence near the Kolmogorov microscale. Six numerical experiments are performed to investigate the processes of entrainment of clear air and subsequent mixing with cloudy air and their interactions with cloud microphysics. The experiments are designed to represent different combinations of three configurations of initial cloudy area and two turbulence modes (decaying and forced turbulence). Five existing measures of microphysical homogeneous mixing degree are examined, modified, and compared in terms of their ability as a unifying measure to represent the effect of various entrainment‐mixing mechanisms on cloud microphysics. Also examined and compared are the conventional Damköhler number and transition scale number as a dynamical measure of different mixing mechanisms. Relationships between the various microphysical measures and dynamical measures are investigated to search for a unified parameterization of entrainment‐mixing processes. The results show that even with the same cloud water fraction, the thermodynamic and microphysical properties are different, especially for the decaying cases. Further analysis confirms that despite the detailed differences in cloud properties among the six simulation scenarios, the variety of turbulent entrainment‐mixing mechanisms can be reasonably represented with power law relationships between the microphysical homogeneous mixing degrees and the dynamical measures.

The Route to Raindrop Formation in a Shallow Cumulus Cloud Simulated by a Lagrangian Cloud Model

Abstract The mechanism of raindrop formation in a shallow cumulus cloud is investigated using a Lagrangian cloud model (LCM). The analysis is focused on how and under which conditions a cloud droplet grows to a raindrop by tracking the history of individual Lagrangian droplets. It is found that the rapid collisional growth, leading to raindrop formation, is triggered when single droplets with a radius of 20 μm appear in the region near the cloud top, characterized by large liquid water content, strong turbulence, large mean droplet size, broad drop size distribution (DSD), and high supersaturations. Raindrop formation easily occurs when turbulence-induced collision enhancement (TICE) is considered, with or without any extra broadening of the DSD by another mechanism (such as entrainment and mixing). In contrast, when TICE is not considered, raindrop formation is severely delayed if no other broadening mechanism is active. The reason for the difference is clarified by the additional analysis of idealized box simulations of the collisional growth process for different DSDs in varied turbulent environments. It is found that TICE does not accelerate the timing of the raindrop formation for individual droplets, but it enhances the collisional growth rate significantly afterward by providing a greater number of large droplets for collision. Higher droplet concentrations increase the time for raindrop formation and decrease precipitation but intensify the effect of TICE.

Impingement characteristics of an early injection gasoline direct injection engine: A numerical study

This article describes the use of a Lagrangian discrete droplet model to evaluate the liquid fuel impingement characteristics on the internal surfaces of an early injection gasoline direct injection engine. This study focuses on fuel impingement on the intake valve and cylinder liner between start of injection and 20° after start of injection using both a single- and a multi-component fuels. The single-component fuel used was iso-octane and the multi-component fuel contained fractions of iso-pentane, iso-octane and n-decane to represent the light, medium and heavy fuel fractions of gasoline, respectively. A detailed description of the impingement and liquid film modelling approach is also provided. Fuel properties, wall surface temperature and droplet Weber number and Laplace number were used to quantify the impingement regime for different fuel fractions and correlated well with the predicted onset of liquid film formation. Evidence of film stripping was seen from the liquid film formed on the side of the intake valve head with subsequent ejected droplets being a likely source of unburned hydrocarbons and particulate matter emissions. Differences in impingement location and subsequent location of liquid film formation were also observed between single- and multi-component fuels. A qualitative comparison with experimental cylinder liner impingement data showed the model to well predict the timing and positioning of the liner fuel impingement.

High fidelity simulation and analysis of liquid jet atomization in a gaseous crossflow at intermediate Weber numbers

Recent advances in numerical methods coupled with the substantial enhancements in computing power and the advent of high performance computing have presented first principle, high fidelity simulation as a viable tool in the prediction and analysis of spray atomization processes. The credibility and potential impact of such simulations, however, has been hampered by the relative absence of detailed validation against experimental evidence. The numerical stability and accuracy challenges arising from the need to simulate the high liquid-gas density ratio across the sharp interfaces encountered in these flows are key reasons for this. In this work we challenge this status quo by presenting a numerical model able to deal with these challenges, employing it in simulations of liquid jet in crossflow atomization and performing extensive validation of its results against a carefully executed experiment with detailed measurements in the atomization region. We then proceed to the detailed analysis of the flow physics. The computational model employs the coupled level set and volume of fluid approach to directly capture the spatiotemporal evolution of the liquid-gas interface and the sharp-interface ghost fluid method to stably handle high liquid-air density ratio. Adaptive mesh refinement and Lagrangian droplet models are shown to be viable options for computational cost reduction. Moreover, high performance computing is leveraged to manage the computational cost. The experiment selected for validation eliminates the impact of inlet liquid and gas turbulence and focuses on the impact of the crossflow aerodynamic forces on the atomization physics. Validation is demonstrated by comparing column surface wavelengths, deformation, breakup locations, column trajectories and droplet sizes, velocities, and mass rates for a range of intermediate Weber numbers. Analysis of the physics is performed in terms of the instability and breakup characteristics and the features of downstream flow recirculation, and vortex shedding. Formation of “Λ” shape windward column waves is observed and explained by the combined upward and lateral surface motion. The existence of Rayleigh-Taylor instability as the primary mechanism for the windward column waves is verified for this case by comparing wavelengths from the simulations to those predicted by linear stability analyses. Physical arguments are employed to postulate that the type of instability manifested may be related to conditions such as the gas Weber number and the inlet turbulence level. The decreased column wavelength with increasing Weber number is found to cause enhanced surface stripping and early depletion of liquid core at higher Weber number. A peculiar “three-streak-two-membrane” liquid structure is identified at the lowest Weber number and explained as the consequence of the symmetric recirculation zones behind the jet column. It is found that the vortical flow downstream of the liquid column resembles a von Karman vortex street and that the coupling between the gas flow and droplet transport is weak for the conditions explored.

Long-resident droplets at the stratocumulus top

Abstract. Turbulence models predict low droplet-collision rates in stratocumulus clouds, which should imply a narrow droplet size distribution and little rain. Contrary to this expectation, rain is often observed in stratocumuli. In this paper, we explore the hypothesis that some droplets can grow well above the average because small-scale turbulence allows them to reside at cloud top for a time longer than the convective-eddy time t*. Long-resident droplets can grow larger because condensation due to longwave radiative cooling, and collisions have more time to enhance droplet growth. We investigate the trajectories of 1 billion Lagrangian droplets in direct numerical simulations of a cloudy mixed-layer configuration that is based on observations from the flight 11 from the VERDI campaign. High resolution is employed to represent a well-developed turbulent state at cloud top. Only one-way coupling is considered. We observe that 70 % of the droplets spend less than 0.6t* at cloud top before leaving the cloud, while 15 % of the droplets remain at least 0.9t* at cloud top. In addition, 0.2 % of the droplets spend more than 2.5t* at cloud top and decouple from the large-scale convective eddies that brought them to the top, with the result that they become memoryless. Modeling collisions like a Poisson process leads to the conclusion that most rain droplets originate from those memoryless droplets. Furthermore, most long-resident droplets accumulate at the downdraft regions of the flow, which could be related to the closed-cell stratocumulus pattern. Finally, we see that condensation due to longwave radiative cooling considerably broadens the cloud-top droplet size distribution: 6.5 % of the droplets double their mass due to radiation in their time at cloud top. This simulated droplet size distribution matches the flight measurements, confirming that condensation due to longwave radiation can be an important mechanism for broadening the droplet size distribution in radiatively driven stratocumuli.

An Eulerian–Lagrangian hybrid model for the coarse-grid simulation of turbulent liquid jet breakup

In this paper we present a numerical model for the coarse-grid simulation of turbulent liquid jet breakup using an Eulerian–Lagrangian coupling. To picture the unresolved droplet formation near the liquid jet interface in the case of coarse grids we considered a theoretical model to describe the unresolved flow instabilities leading to turbulent breakup. These entrained droplets are then represented by an Eulerian–Lagrangian hybrid concept. On the one hand, we used a volume of fluid method (VOF) to characterize the global spreading and the initiation of droplet formation; one the other hand, Lagrangian droplets are released at the liquid–gas interface according to the theoretical model balancing consolidating and disruptive energies. Here, a numerical coupling was required between Eulerian liquid core and Lagrangian droplets using mass and momentum source terms. The presented methodology was tested for different liquid jets in Rayleigh, wind-induced and atomization regimes and validated against literature data. This comparison reveals fairly good qualitative agreement in the cases of jet spreading, jet instability and jet breakup as well as relatively accurate size distribution and Sauter mean diameter (SMD) of the droplets. Furthermore, the model was able to capture the regime transitions from Rayleigh instability to atomization appropriately. Finally, the presented sub-grid model predicts the effect of the gas-phase pressure on the droplet sizes very well.

Turbulent latent and sensible heat flux in the presence of evaporative droplets

Direct numerical simulations of an Eulerian-based carrier phase are performed which are two-way coupled in momentum and energy to Lagrangian droplets within a Boussinesq-type incompressible formulation, where the droplets are allowed to evaporate and condense and are thus coupled to the vapor field of the carrier phase. Turbulent planar Couette flow is simulated under varying boundary forcings to understand the degree to which evaporating droplets modify vertical fluxes of energy in horizontally homogeneous systems. In particular, the separate influences on both sensible and latent heat are substantial but opposite in sign, and the local relative humidity can result in droplet-induced heat or moisture fluxes which counteract the prescribed background gradients. The influence of droplet Stokes number is also considered, where it is shown that both clustering and turbophoresis play important roles in determining the magnitude of the droplet-induced sensible and latent heat fluxes.

Lagrangian Droplet Dynamics in the Subsiding Shell of a Cloud Using Direct Numerical Simulations

Abstract This study investigates the droplet dynamics at the lateral cloud–environment interface in shallow cumulus clouds. A mixing layer is used to study a small part of the cloud edge using direct numerical simulation combined with a Lagrangian particle tracking and collision algorithm. The effect of evaporation, gravity, coalescence, and the initial droplet size distribution on the intensity of the mixing layer and the evolution of the droplet size distribution is studied. Mixing of the droplets with environmental air induces evaporative cooling, which results in a very characteristic subsiding shell. As a consequence, stronger horizontal velocity gradients are found in the mixing layer, which induces more mixing and evaporation. A broadening of the droplet size distribution is observed as a result of evaporation and coalescence. Gravity acting on the droplets allows droplets in cloudy filaments detrained from the cloud to sediment and remain longer in the unsaturated environment. While this effect of gravity did not have a significant impact in this case on the mean evolution of the mixing layer, it does contribute to the broadening of the droplet size distribution and thereby significantly increases the collision rate. Although more but smaller droplets result in more evaporative cooling, more droplets also increase small-scale fluctuations and the production of turbulent dissipation. For the smallest droplets considered with a radius of 10 μm, the authors found that, although a more pronounced buoyancy dip was present, the increase in dissipation rate actually led to a decrease in the turbulent intensity of the mixing layer. Extrapolation of the results to realistic clouds is discussed.

Development of a hybrid multi-scale simulation approach for spray processes

This paper presents a multi-scale approach coupling a Eulerian interface-tracking method and a Lagrangian particle-tracking method to simulate liquid atomisation processes. This method aims to represent the complete spray atomisation process including the primary break-up process and the secondary break-up process, paving the way for high-fidelity simulations of spray atomisation in the dense spray zone and spray combustion in the dilute spray zone. The Eulerian method is based on the coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid method for interface tracking, which can accurately simulate the primary break-up process. For the coupling approach, the Eulerian method describes only large droplet and ligament structures, while small-scale droplet structures are removed from the resolved Eulerian description and transformed into Lagrangian point-source spherical droplets. The Lagrangian method is thus used to track smaller droplets. In this study, two-dimensional simulations of liquid jet atomisation are performed. We analysed Lagrangian droplet formation and motion using the multi-scale approach. The results indicate that the coupling method successfully achieves multi-scale simulations and accurately models droplet motion after the Eulerian–Lagrangian transition. Finally, the reverse Lagrangian–Eulerian transition is also considered to cope with interactions between Eulerian droplets and Lagrangian droplets.

Towards High-fidelity Multi-scale Simulation of Spray Atomization

Abstract Liquid jet atomization is an important process in internal combustion engine. This paper presents a multi-scale approach coupling a Eulerian interface-tracking method and a Lagrangian particle tracking method to simulate liquid atomization processes. This method aims to capture the complete spray atomization process, particularly primary and second breakup, paving the way for high-fidelity simulation of spray atomization in the dense spray zone and spray combustion in the dilute spray zone. The Eulerian method is based on the Coupled Level-Set and Volume-of-Fluid (CLSVOF) for interface tracking, which can accurately simulate the primary breakup process. For the coupling approach, the Eulerian method only describes large droplet and ligament structures, while small-scale droplet structures are removed from the resolved Eulerian description and transformed into Lagrangian point-source droplets. The Lagrangian method is thus used to track small droplets and their further secondary breakup and collision. In this study, two-dimensional simulation of liquid jet atomization is performed. We will analyse Lagrangian-droplet formation and motion due to the coupling and the atomization characteristics using the multi-scale approach.

Numerical study of high speed evaporating sprays

Large eddy simulations of high speed evaporating sprays are conducted to study spray interactions with the gas flow and turbulence generated by the spray. The spray is simulated with a Lagrangian droplet method and a stochastic breakup model together with non-equilibrium, finite-rate heat and mass transfer models. The Lagrangian spray/droplet field is fully coupled with the Eulerian gas flow through mass, momentum and energy coupling terms. The interaction of spray induced gas flow and turbulence with the droplets is studied for different gas chamber densities and temperatures as well as different nozzle sizes and injection pressures. Our results indicate that although the droplet transport and evaporation are both important to the generated gas flow and its interactions with the spray, the major source of momentum transfer to the gas is the high speed vapor generated by evaporation. It is shown that sprays injected from larger nozzles generate more perturbations in the gas due to increase in evaporation rate by higher entrained gas. However, the liquid spray penetration remains unchanged with the variation in injection pressure due to competing effects of evaporation and vapor convection. While the liquid penetration is not significantly affected by the injection pressure, the evaporated vapor penetrates more and mixes better at higher injection pressures due to higher induced gas velocity and turbulence.

Lagrangian Mixing Dynamics at the Cloudy–Clear Air Interface

Abstract The entrainment of clear air and its subsequent mixing with a filament of cloudy air, as occurs at the edge of a cloud, is studied in three-dimensional direct numerical simulations that combine the Eulerian description of the turbulent velocity, temperature, and vapor fields with a Lagrangian cloud droplet ensemble. Forced and decaying turbulence is considered, such as when the dynamics around the filament is driven by larger-scale eddies or during the final period of the life cycle of a cloud. The microphysical response depicted in nd − 〈r3〉 space (where nd and r are droplet number density and radius, respectively) shows characteristics of both homogeneous and inhomogeneous mixing, depending on the Damköhler number. The transition from inhomogeneous to homogeneous mixing leads to an offset of the homogeneous mixing curve to larger dilution fractions. The response of the system is governed by the smaller of the single droplet evaporation time scale and the bulk phase relaxation time scale. Variability within the nd − 〈r3〉 space increases with decreasing sample volume, especially during the mixing transients. All of these factors have implications for the interpretation of measurements in clouds. The qualitative mixing behavior changes for forced versus decaying turbulence, with the latter yielding remnant patches of unmixed cloud and stronger fluctuations. Buoyancy due to droplet evaporation is observed to play a minor role in the mixing for the present configuration. Finally, the mixing process leads to the transient formation of a pronounced nearly exponential tail of the probability density function of the Lagrangian supersaturation, and a similar tail emerges in the droplet size distribution under inhomogeneous conditions.

Transported Joint Probability Density Function Modeling of Turbulent Dilute Spray Flows

A transported joint probability density function (PDF) model for turbulent spray flows is presented, where a one-point one-time statistical description of the gas-phase mixture fraction and the gas velocity is used. This approach requires the closure of the molecular mixing, which is achieved through use of the extended interaction-by-exchange-with-the-mean (IEM) model and a simplified Langevin model for the closure of the gas velocity both of which are extended through additional terms accounting for spray evaporation. These equations require the solution of the turbulent time scales and the mean pressure field through a Eulerian description. The numerical approach includes a Lagrangian Monte Carlo method for the solution of modeled joint PDF equation with a Eulerian finite-volume algorithm to determine the turbulent time scale and the mean pressure field. For the dispersed liquid phase, Lagrangian equations are used to describe the droplet heating, evaporation, and motion in the framework of a discrete droplet model. The convective droplet evaporation model is employed, and the infinite conductivity model with consideration of non-equilibrium effects based on the Langmuir-Knudsen law is used. The droplet turbulent dispersion is modeled with two different Lagrangian stochastic models. The resulting spray evolution equations are solved by a Lagrangian discrete droplet method using the point source approximation for a dilute spray. The numerical results are compared with experimental data of Gounder et al. [1], where the experimental set B of the acetone spray flows SP2 and SP6 are simulated. Comparison of numerical and experimental results includes droplet size, liquid volume flux as well as the mean and fluctuating velocities. Generally, good agreement is achieved, although the radial droplet dispersion is somewhat under-predicted by the computations. The droplet fluctuating velocities show sensitivity to the different dispersion models.

High Fidelity Simulation of the Spray Generated by a Realistic Swirling Flow Injector

Practical aero-engine fuel injection systems are highly complicated, combining complex fuel atomizer and air swirling elements to achieve good fuel-air mixing and long residence time in order to enhance both the combustion efficiency and stability. While a detailed understanding of the multiphase flow processes occurring in a realistic injector has been limited due to the complex geometries and the challenges in near-field measurements, high fidelity, first principles simulation offers, for the first time, the potential for a comprehensive physics-based understanding. In this work, such simulations have been performed to investigate the spray atomization and subsequent droplet transport in a swirling air stream generated by a complex multinozzle/swirler combination. A coupled level set and volume of fluid (CLSVOF) approach is used to directly capture the liquid-gas interface and an embedded boundary (EB) method is applied to flexibly handle the complex injector geometry. The ghost fluid (GF) method is also used to facilitate simulations at a realistic fuel-air density ratio. Adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) and Lagrangian droplet models are used to efficiently resolve the multiscale processes. To alleviate the global constraint on the time step imposed by the locally activated AMR near liquid jets, a separate AMR simulation focusing on jet atomization was performed for a relatively short physical time and the resulting Lagrangian droplets are coupled into another simulation on a uniform grid at larger time-steps. The high cost simulations were performed at the U.S. Department of Defense high performance computing facilities using over 5000 processors. Experiments at the same flow conditions were conducted at the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC). The simulation details of flow velocity and vorticity due to the interaction of the fuel jet and swirling air are presented. The velocity magnitude is compared with the experimental measurement at two downstream planes. The two-phase spray spreading is compared with experimental images and the flow details are further analyzed to enhance the understanding of the complex physics.

Large eddy simulation of turbulent spray breakup and evaporation

This paper is on the modelling and large eddy simulation (LES) of very high speed evaporating sprays. The spray is simulated with a Lagrangian droplet transport and a stochastic breakup model together with finite rate heat and mass transfer models. The droplet transport, breakup, wake, collision/coalescence, heat transfer and evaporation models are used together with a compressible gas phase LES solver for numerical simulations of high pressure liquid jets sprayed into a high temperature and pressure gas chamber. The numerical results are compared with the available experimental results for global spray variables such as the spray penetration length. Various non-evaporating and evaporating sprays at different ambient gas pressures and temperatures are considered. In all cases, the gas velocity and turbulence generated by the spray are found to be very significant. A broad spectrum of droplet sizes is also generated by the complex and coupled effects of the gas flow turbulence, droplet breakup and evaporation. Droplet wake interactions are shown to be important to the spray evolution. The effect of subgrid turbulence model on the global spray parameters, like the spray penetration, is also shown to be significant at lower gas temperatures.

A Computational Study on Spray Dispersal in the Wake of an Aircraft

<abstract><title><italic>Abstract. </italic></title> This article describes a computational study using CFD models of droplet spray dispersal in the wake of a small aircraft up to 200 m downstream. The CFD Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models use a Lagrangian (droplet phase) and Eulerian (fluid phase) procedure to predict the droplet trajectories through the turbulent aircraft wake. The methods described have the potential to improve current low-order models for aerial spraying and help in the development of new spraying procedures. In addition, the CFD models will provide sophisticated input to atmospheric turbulence models, which are used to predict the transport of droplets from the near-field wake of the aircraft to the far-field spray target. In this study, CFD models are developed for the polydispersed sprays released from five Micronair AU4000 atomizers mounted on each wing of an Air Tractor AT-802. This atomizer and aircraft combination is commonly used in forest protection. A parametric study of the aircraft model examines the effects of crosswinds on the aircraft’s vortex structures and the resulting droplet trajectories. The study shows how crosswinds interact with the aircraft wake to maldistribute the droplet mass flux. A comparison of the present results to AGDISP predictions is provided.