Secondary Breakup Process Research Articles

Study on aerodynamic breakup of non-Newtonian liquid droplets and the distribution characteristics of their sub-droplets

In industrial applications, the secondary breakup of droplets and the size distribution of their sub-droplets are crucial for atomization performance indicators. In this work, a high-speed digital camera is utilized to experimentally and theoretically study the secondary breakup process of xanthan gum (XG) droplets and the size distribution changes of resulting sub-droplets in continuous airflow by changing the Weber number and effective Ohnesorge number. In addition, a detailed study is conducted on the liquid ring with the highest liquid content. The results show that at low Weber numbers, the number of nodes generated at the XG droplet ring is the same as that of the water droplet, following “the combined R-T/aerodynamic drag” mechanism. However, the final diameter of the nodes differs significantly from that of the water droplet. The particle size of XG liquid ring nodes is not only affected by the Weber number but also decreases with the increase of the effective Ohnesorge number. The particle size of the remaining broken sub-droplets in the liquid ring decreases with the increase of the effective Ohnesorge number. Finally, the spatial range of droplet breakup under different parameters is described by using the liquid ring breakup angle, and it is found that the breakup angle of the liquid ring is mainly related to the breakup mode.

Aerodynamic breakup of gel suspension droplets loaded with aluminum particles

The persistent and frequent space explorations are affected by the performance of propellants, among which the closely related gel propellants have been widely used due to their unique characteristics. Currently, research efforts primarily concentrate on the metallization and atomized combustion of gel propellants, emphasizing the combustion performance of metallized gel propellants. However, little attention has been given to the secondary breakup process that occurs just before combustion. By utilizing high-speed flow visualization technology, this study examines the key aerodynamic breakup process of gel suspension droplets loaded with micro aluminum particles, experimentally and theoretically investigating the droplet dynamics induced by particle volume fraction. The experimental confirmation of the three breakup behaviors exhibited by gel suspension droplets, namely oscillation mode, bag-stamen breakup, and hemline breakup, is presented along with the construction of a phase diagram. The impact of heterogeneous effects resulting from an increase in particle volume fraction on the critical breakup Weber number is revealed, with a concentration of 9 % as the turning point. Within the range of moderate Weber numbers, the tail flick deformation of suspension droplets in airflow is observed and reported for the first time. At different particle concentrations, there keeps a linear correlation between the dimensionless tail length and Weber number. Spherical suspension droplets will deform into thin disks in the airflow, with a nearly constant deformation rate regardless of changes in particle concentration. Additionally, the relationships between characteristic times and droplet parameters are discussed through statistical analysis of the results. As Ohnesorge number and particle volume fraction increase, the characteristic times both show a monotonically increasing trend. Moreover, a model of unstable growth rate associated with the particle volume fraction is established through linear instability analysis, accurately predicting the variation in critical Weber number for gel suspension droplet breakup. The congruence between our theoretical framework and experimental findings not only enhances comprehension of the impact of micro aluminum particles on the secondary breakup of gel suspension droplets but also provides valuable guidance for the aerospace applications of metallized gel propellants.

Bubble dynamics and atomization of acoustically levitated diesel and biodiesel droplets using femtosecond laser pulses

This study focuses on the bubble dynamics and associated breakup of individual droplets of diesel and biodiesel under the influence of femtosecond laser pulses. The bubble dynamics were examined by suspending the droplets in the air through an acoustically levitated setup. The laser pulse energies ranged from 25 to 1050 µJ, and droplet diameters varied between 0.25 and 1.5 mm. High-speed shadowgraphy was employed to examine the influence of femtosecond laser intensity and multiple laser pulses on various spatial–temporal parameters. Four distinct sequences of regimes have been identified, depending on early and late times: bubble creation by individual laser pulses, coalescence, bubble rupture and expansion, and droplet fragmentation. At all laser intensities, early-time dynamics showed only bubble generation, while specifically at higher intensities, late-time dynamics revealed droplet breaking. The droplet breakup is further categorized into three mechanisms: steady sheet collapse, unstable sheet breakup, and catastrophic breakup, all following a well-known ligament and secondary breakup process. The study reveals that laser pulses with high repetition rates and moderate laser energy were the optimal choice for precise bubble control and cutting.

Multiscale modeling of liquid jet breakup in crossflow using an Eulerian/Lagrangian approach

Liquid atomization is a very complex issue, involving multiple length and time scales over several orders of magnitude. To better understand the atomization characteristics of the main injection in a lean premix prevaporize (LPP) combustor, a volume of fluid (VOF)–particle conversion algorithm Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) coupled approach was proposed to simultaneously reproduce the primary and secondary breakup processes. A VOF model with an adaptive mesh refinement strategy was used to resolve the liquid disintegration on a large scale. The small liquid structures qualified as droplets were transformed into discrete particles based on particle conversion criteria. Next, these particles were tracked using the LPT method to simulate the secondary breakup process. The proposed coupled method used in the Eulerian/Lagrangian framework was validated against liquid jet in crossflow experimental data. The numerical results achieved good agreement with the experimental data. Finally, the proposed method was used to predict the atomization characteristics of the main injection in an LPP combustor under various aerodynamic conditions. Qualitative and quantitative information about liquid deformation and spray characteristics were obtained, which varied depending on the aerodynamic parameters.

Conical liquid sheet morphology and 3D droplet distribution of aviation kerosene pressure-swirl spray with digital off-axis holography

In this study, the test performance of high-resolution digital off-axis holography for the non-spherical droplet characteristics and spatial distribution in the primary breakup region of a pressure-swirl nozzle were experimentally investigated, with spatial resolution of 4.5μm and 3.0μm. The field of interest (FOI) was restricted within 9 mm downstream of the nozzle outlet, where the primary and some secondary breakup processes take place. The liquid investigated here is RP-3 kerosene, and the injection pressure and liquid temperature were controlled in the range of 0.5 ∼ 1.0 MPa and 250 ∼ 291 K separately. Clear spray morphology and deformed droplet image were obtained through the holographic reconstruction process. Droplet extraction criteria were proposed to distinguish deformed droplets from ligaments. The overall drop size and ellipticity distribution were quantified and discussed. The results show that the overall drop size distributions near the nozzle are also typical single-peaked curves. The proportions of non-spherical droplet increase as the fuel pressure and temperature increase. The spatial Sauter mean diameter (SMD) distributions of spray at different positions downstream of the nozzle were calculated, with the grid size of 1 × 1 × 1 mm3, showing the doughnut-like annular SMD and droplet number distribution profiles of the hollow conical spray. As the temperature and fuel pressure decrease, SMD distribution becomes uneven and larger. Fine droplets exist in the region where the perforation and primary breakup process occur, and the SMD increases over the axial distance due to the breakup process of ligaments near the nozzle. Results also prove that digital off-axis holography presented here is expected to realize the 3D viewing of the conical liquid sheet and statistical quantification of the droplet where primary and secondary breakup processes mainly occurred.

Recent advances in hybrid Eulerian–Lagrangian description of atomization

AbstractAtomization of liquid fuel is a crucial process to energy utilization. A thorough understanding of the physics of liquid atomization is challenging to acquire but necessary. During the past decades, numerical simulation methods for atomization with interface capturing schemes have been developed rapidly. However, several remaining issues need to be highlighted, such as the minimum size of the droplet to capture, numerical mass defects, and others. Thus, those simulations have been mostly limited to the primary breakup process and cannot capture the huge number of tiny droplets during the secondary breakup process. In recent years, a Eulerian–Lagrangian description of atomization has been introduced for the multi‐scale modelling of its whole process, in which the primary atomization process is treated in the Eulerian framework while the secondary atomization is treated in the Lagrangian framework. This hybrid method has been demonstrated to have many advantages in accuracy and efficiency. Considering its wide applications and contribution to the field, a comprehensive review is made in this work. First, an introduction to the phenomenon of atomization and the development of atomization numerical simulation in recent decades is made. Governing equations in the Eulerian and Lagrangian frameworks are then summarized. This is followed by a discussion of the hybrid combination method, the numerical framework, and its applications in atomization simulations. Last but not least, several relevant issues demanding attention are discussed as well.

A zonal secondary break-up model for 3D-CFD simulations of GDI sprays

In Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines, the secondary break-up plays a significant role in air–fuel mixing. In fact, spray granulometry affects evaporation rate, liquid penetration and plume morphology. Operating pressures and temperatures of both liquid and gaseous phases strongly influence the droplet disruption mechanism in the combustion chamber. In 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), several models can be adopted to simulate the secondary break-up process, among which the Reitz-Diwakar and the Kelvin-Helmholtz Rayleigh-Taylor (KHRT) are the most diffused ones in the engine community. However, application of such models in their original versions is limited to a reduced range of injection parameters and ambient conditions. As a matter of fact, large variations of them usually require ad-hoc calibrations of the model constants. To improve the predictive capabilities and reduce the need of case-by-case tuning, an alternative secondary break-up model is proposed in the present paper. It is based on the Reitz-Diwakar one but, compared to the latter, a zonalization of the break-up regimes is proposed. Specifically, it is assumed that only Stripping break-up can occur near the nozzle, while Bag break-up only takes place sufficiently far from it. Moreover, model parameters are now treated as functions of the operating conditions. In particular, the impact of the ambient density on the model parameters is analysed in the present work. The proposed model is calibrated via constant volume vessel simulations on a single-hole GDI research injector at vacuum-to-pressurized conditions (namely at 0.4, 1.0, and 3.0 bar(a) of back pressure), on equal temperature. Model parameters are found to be linear functions of the ambient density. Thereafter, model validation is carried out on two different GDI injectors. The first is again a single-hole (remarkably different compared to the previous one), while the second is a 5-hole prototype. Numerical results provided by the proposed model show a satisfactory agreement compared to the experiments in terms of liquid penetration, Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA) data and imaging, without any dedicated tuning. Conversely, the Reitz-Diwakar and KHRT models, applied to simulate (with default calibration constants) the same injectors, provide results which remarkably deviate from the experiments.

Numerical study on the mixing and evaporation process of a liquid kerosene jet in a scramjet combustor

The mixing and evaporation process of a liquid kerosene jet in a scramjet combustor with dual-cavity is investigated by two-phase Large Eddy Simulation. The gas-droplet flow system is solved through a two-way coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian method. The primary and secondary breakup processes of the liquid fuel jet are taken into account. The Langmuir-Knudsen evaporation model, which considers the non-equilibrium effect, is used to calculate the evaporation process of the droplets. The penetration depth of the jet is in good agreement with the experimental value. The dynamic process of the liquid jet breakup, spray evaporation, and fuel transportation within the combustor are well described by the numerical results. The distribution and evaporation characteristics of the spray are analyzed and most droplets are evaporated within 30 mm downstream of the jet orifice. However, a small portion of droplets with high velocity and low temperature can survive for a long distance. The influence of injection pressure on the mixing process near the cavity is also analyzed, and it is found that the injection pressure affects the total quantity of fuel entrained into the cavity by affecting the fuel distribution in the near-wall region and the total fuel mass flow rate. The local distribution of the liquid and gas phase fuels, local temperature and turbulence characteristics in the cavity are analyzed, and the ignition environment on the development path of the flame kernel is discussed. The results indicate that the injection pressure and the distance between the cavity and the orifice have a critical effect on the quantity of the kerosene entrained into the cavity, which then have a great influence on the ignition environment in the cavity.

Secondary breakup of shear thickening suspension drop

To explore the effect of shear thickening behavior on the secondary deformation and breakup of cornstarch–water suspension droplets, an experimental investigation is conducted by using a high-speed camera. The experimental results demonstrate suspension droplets that exhibit discontinuous shear thickening (DST) exhibit a hardened deformation mode when they fall into the airflow field. When the droplets are in a hardened deformation mode, the windward side of the droplet deforms into a sheet, while the leeward side remains hemispherical until the droplet leaves the airflow field. The dimensionless number N is established to describe the relative magnitude of the increment of the viscous force and aerodynamic force during the secondary breakup process. Based on the suggested dimensionless number N and the Weber number We, the secondary deformation and breakup regime map of Newtonian fluids and DST suspensions is also proposed.

The Mathematical Model for the Secondary Breakup of Dropping Liquid

Investigating characteristics for the secondary breakup of dropping liquid is a fundamental scientific and practical problem in multiphase flow. For its solving, it is necessary to consider the features of both the main hydrodynamic and secondary processes during spray granulation and vibration separation of heterogeneous systems. A significant difficulty in modeling the secondary breakup process is that in most technological processes, the breakup of droplets and bubbles occurs through the simultaneous action of several dispersion mechanisms. In this case, the existing mathematical models based on criterion equations do not allow establishing the change over time of the process’s main characteristics. Therefore, the present article aims to solve an urgent scientific and practical problem of studying the nonstationary process of the secondary breakup of liquid droplets under the condition of the vibrational impact of oscillatory elements. Methods of mathematical modeling were used to achieve this goal. This modeling allows obtaining analytical expressions to describe the breakup characteristics. As a result of modeling, the droplet size’s critical value was evaluated depending on the oscillation frequency. Additionally, the analytical expression for the critical frequency was obtained. The proposed methodology was derived for a range of droplet diameters of 1.6–2.6 mm. The critical value of the diameter for unstable droplets was also determined, and the dependence for breakup time was established. Notably, for the critical diameter in a range of 1.90–2.05 mm, the breakup time was about 0.017 s. The reliability of the proposed methodology was confirmed experimentally by the dependencies between the Ohnesorge and Reynolds numbers for different prilling process modes.

Spray and mixing characteristics of liquid jet in a tubular gas–liquid atomization mixer

For the design and optimization of a tubular gas–liquid atomization mixer, the atomization and mixing characteristics of liquid jet breakup in the limited tube space is a key problem. In this study, the primary breakup process of liquid jet column was analyzed by high-speed camera, then the droplet size and velocity distribution of atomized droplets were measured by Phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA). The hydrodynamic characteristics of gas flow in tubular gas–liquid atomization mixer were analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation. The results indicate that the liquid flow rate has little effect on the atomization droplet size and atomization pressure drop, and the gas flow rate is the main influence parameter. Under all experimental gas flow conditions, the liquid jet column undergoes a primary breakup process, forming larger liquid blocks and droplets. When the gas flow rate ( Q g ) is less than 127 m 3 ·h −1 , the secondary breakup of large liquid blocks and droplets does not occur in venturi throat region. The Sauter mean diameter (SMD) of droplets measured at the outlet is more than 140 μm, and the distribution is uneven. When Q g > 127 m 3 ·h −1 , the large liquid blocks and droplets have secondary breakup process at the throat region. The SMD of droplets measured at the outlet is less than 140 μm, and the distribution is uniform. When 127 < Q g < 162 m 3 ·h −1 , the secondary breakup mode of droplets is bag breakup or pouch breakup. When 181 < Q g < 216 m 3 ·h −1 , the secondary breakup mode of droplets is shear breakup or catastrophic breakup. In order to ensure efficient atomization and mixing, the throat gas velocity of the tubular atomization mixer should be designed to be about 51 m·s −1 under the lowest operating flow rate. The pressure drop of the tubular atomization mixer increases linearly with the square of gas velocity, and the resistance coefficient is about 2.55 in single-phase flow condition and 2.73 in gas–liquid atomization condition. The breakup morphologies of liquid jet with different liquid and gas flow rates are photographed by a high-speed camera respectively. The liquid jet column swings and breaks up into large droplets and liquid blocks in the air flow. When flow through the Venturi throat, these large droplets and liquid blocks break up into smaller droplets. The particle size and velocity distribution of atomized droplets were measured by Phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA). Under the same gas flow rate condition, the droplet sizes at different measured points are basically the same, and the droplet size decreases gradually with the increase of gas velocity. With the increase of gas velocity, the droplet size distribution of each measured point is closer to a straight line, and the uniformity of atomized droplet distribution in the tube is better. With the value of the gas velocity 72 m 3 ·h −1 , the average droplet size is about 200 μm, and with the value of the gas velocity 216 m 3 ·h −1 , the average droplet size is about 50 μm. • Experiments were performed on droplet size and velocity in tubular atomizing mixer. • Breakup morphologies of liquid jet under different flow conditions were obtained. • The relationship between gas flow rate and droplet size was obtained. • Gas–liquid atomizing and mixing characteristics in tubular mixer were analyzed.

Numerical Simulations of Molten Breakup Behaviors of a de Laval-Type Nozzle, and the Effects of Atomization Parameters on Particle Size Distribution

In this work, an atomizer with a de Laval-type nozzle is designed and studied by commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and the secondary breakup process during atomization is simulated by two-way coupling and the discrete particle model (DPM) using the Euler-Lagrange method. The simulation result demonstrates that the gas flow patterns greatly change with the introduction of liquid droplets, which clearly indicates that the mass loading effect is quite significant as a result of the gas-droplet interactions. An hourglass shape of the cloud of disintegrating molten metal particles is observed by using a stochastic tracking model. Finally, this simulation approach is used for the quantitative evaluation of the effects of altering the atomizing process conditions (gas-to-melt ratio, operating pressure P, and operating gas temperature T) and nozzle geometry (protrusion length h, half-taper angle α, and gas slit nozzle diameter D) on the particle size distribution of the powders produced.

Three-dimensional flow structures and droplet-gas mixing process of a liquid jet in supersonic crossflow

The mixing process of a liquid jet in supersonic crossflow with a Mach number of 2.1 was investigated numerically using large eddy simulation (LES) based on the Eulerian-Lagrangian method. The gas phase was described using the Navier-Stokes equations and the liquid phase was represented using discrete droplets, which were injected and tracked in the computational domain individually according to Newton's second law of motion. The KH (Kelvin-Helmholtz) breakup model was used to calculate the droplet stripping process, and the secondary breakup process was simulated by coupling the RT (Rayleigh-Taylor) breakup model and the TAB (Taylor Analogy Breakup) model. Two-way coupling was enforced to consider the momentum and energy exchange between the gas and the droplets. It was found that the LES predicted spray characteristics, including spray penetration and cross-sectional distribution, agree reasonably well with the experiment. The major gas flow structures such as the bow shock, the large-scale vortices, and the recirculation zones were replicated successfully in the simulations. It was found that the gas flow structures have a significant effect on the mixing process of the droplets. The simulation results revealed that two sets of counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP) exist in the gas-liquid mixing region. Under the influence of CVP, part droplets were transported to the near wall region and subsequently to both sides of the core spray region. The formation mechanism of the CVP was analyzed by comparing the pressure gradient and the source term of droplets in the Navier-Stokes equations. Differences of the mixing process of liquid jet in supersonic crossflow, gas jet in supersonic crossflow and liquid jet in incompressible crossflow were identified.

Detailed assessment of diesel spray atomization models using visible and X-ray extinction measurements

The physical mechanisms characterizing the breakup of a diesel spray into droplets are still unknown. This gap in knowledge has largely been due to the challenges of directly imaging this process or quantitatively measuring the outcomes of spray breakup, such as droplet size. Recent x-ray measurements by Argonne National Laboratory, utilized in this work, provide needed information about the spatial evolution of droplet sizes in selected regions of the spray under a range of injection pressures (50–150 MPa) and ambient densities (7.6–22.8 kg/m3) relevant for diesel operating conditions. Ultra-small angle x-ray scattering (USAXS) measurements performed at the Advanced Photon Source are presented, which quantify Sauter mean diameters (SMD) within optically thick regions of the spray that are inaccessible by conventional droplet sizing measurement techniques, namely in the near-nozzle region, along the spray centerline, and within the core of the spray. To quantify droplet sizes along the periphery of the spray, a complementary technique is proposed and introduced, which leverages the ratio of path-integrated x-ray and visible laser extinction (SAMR) measurements to quantify SMD. The SAMR and USAXS measurements are then utilized to evaluate current spray models used for engine computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. We explore the ability of a carefully calibrated spray model, premised on aerodynamic wave growth theory, to capture the experimentally observed trends of SMD throughout the spray. The spray structure is best predicted with an aerodynamic primary and secondary breakup process that is represented with a slower time constant and larger formed droplet size than conventionally recommended for diesel spray models. Additionally, spray model predictions suggest that droplet collisions may not influence the resultant droplet size distribution along the spray centerline in downstream regions of the spray.

Effect of atomization pressure on the breakup of TA15 titanium alloy powder prepared by EIGA method for laser 3D printing

TA15 titanium alloy powder was prepared by Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization (EIGA) method at different gas pressure. The breakup behavior of molten droplet in the primary and secondary breakup process was analyzed. Also, the properties of TA15 fine powder prepared at optimized gas pressure were tested. Results shown that gas pressure played a positive role on the transformation between large size oval metal flake and regular molten stick in primary breakup process. After then, the molten stick followed three kinds of breakup modes and turned to disparate shape powders in secondary breakup process, which were normal necking down breakup mode, interfere breakup mode and impact breakup mode. At 6MPa pressure, simulation shown that the back-flow area had the largest volume and the average velocity on the flow field axis reached to 260 m/s. The preparation rate of fine TA15 powder was 82% and had the narrow particle size distribution. The phase of fine powder prepared at 6MPa was all the α-Ti phase. Flow ability and apparent density were 22.1s/50 g and 2.82 g/cm3 respectively, which was conformed to the ASTM test standard and was in line with the requirement for Laser 3D printing.

Numerical simulation of the gas-liquid interaction of a liquid jet in supersonic crossflow

The gas-liquid interaction process of a liquid jet in supersonic crossflow with a Mach number of 1.94 was investigated numerically using the Eulerian-Lagrangian method. The KH (Kelvin-Helmholtz) breakup model was used to calculate the droplet stripping process, and the secondary breakup process was simulated by the competition of RT (Rayleigh-Taylor) breakup model and TAB (Taylor Analogy Breakup) model. A correction of drag coefficient was proposed by considering the compressible effects and the deformation of droplets. The location and velocity models of child droplets after breakup were improved according to droplet deformation. It was found that the calculated spray features, including spray penetration, droplet size distribution and droplet velocity profile agree reasonably well with the experiment. Numerical results revealed that the streamlines of air flow could intersect with the trajectory of droplets and are deflected towards the near-wall region after they enter into spray zone around the central plane. The analysis of gas-liquid relative velocity and droplet deformation suggested that the breakup of droplets mainly occurs around the front region of the spray where gathered a large number of droplets with different sizes. The liquid trailing phenomenon of jet spray which has been discovered by the previous experiment was successfully captured, and a reasonable explanation was given based on the analysis of gas-liquid interaction process.

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.

Spray features in the near field of a flow-blurring injector investigated by high-speed visualization and time-resolved PIV

In a flow-blurring (FB) injector, atomizing air stagnates and bifurcates at the gap upstream of the injector orifice. A small portion of the air penetrates into the liquid supply line to create a turbulent two-phase flow. Pressure drop across the injector orifice causes air bubbles to expand and burst thereby disintegrating the surrounding liquid into a fine spray. In previous studies, we have demonstrated clean and stable combustion of alternative liquid fuels, such as biodiesel, straight vegetable oil and glycerol by using the FB injector without requiring fuel pre-processing or combustor hardware modification. In this study, high-speed visualization and time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques are employed to investigate the FB spray in the near field of the injector to delineate the underlying mechanisms of atomization. Experiments are performed using water as the liquid and air as the atomizing gas for air to liquid mass ratio of 2.0. Flow visualization at the injector exit focused on a field of view with physical dimensions of 2.3 mm × 1.4 mm at spatial resolution of 7.16 µm per pixel, exposure time of 1 µs, and image acquisition rate of 100 k frames per second. Image sequences illustrate mostly fine droplets indicating that the primary breakup by FB atomization likely occurs within the injector itself. A few larger droplets appearing mainly at the injector periphery undergo secondary breakup by Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities. Time-resolved PIV is applied to quantify the droplet dynamics in the injector near field. Plots of instantaneous, mean, and root-mean-square droplet velocities are presented to reveal the secondary breakup process. Results show that the secondary atomization to produce fine and stable spray is complete within a few diameters from the injector exit. These superior characteristics of the FB injector are attractive to achieve clean combustion of different fuels in practical systems.

Large Eddy Simulation of Air Entrainment and Mixing in Reacting and Non-Reacting Diesel Sprays

Large eddy simulation is performed to investigate air entrainment and mixing in diesel sprays with and without combustion. The Spray A case of the Engine Combustion Network (ECN) is considered in the study, in which liquid n-Dodecane is injected at 1500 bar through a nozzle of 90 μm into a constant volume vessel with an ambient density of 22.8 kg/m3 and an ambient temperature of 900 K. Primary and secondary breakup processes of the liquid fuel are taken into account. The gas and liquid phases are modeled using Eulerian/Lagrangian coupling approach. Detailed chemical kinetics for n-Dodecane is employed to simulate the ignition process and the lifted flames. A chemistry coordinate mapping approach is used for speeding up the calculations. The effect of low temperature ignition (cool flame) on the evaporation process and on the liquid penetration length is analyzed. The effect of combustion heat release from the lifted flames on the vapor spreading in the radial direction and on the vapor transport in the streamwise direction (vapor penetration) is investigated.

Analyses of spray break-up mechanisms using the integral form of the conservation equations

We present further uses of a theoretical framework based on the integral form of the conservation equations, to gain insight and predictive capabilities for the spray break-up regimes, turbulence effect on drop size, and secondary break-up processes. Quantitatively and qualitatively, the results indicate that the current analysis method can be useful in understanding and predicting various aspects of spray break-up processes. Correct Weber number boundaries for Rayleigh, wind-induced, and atomisation regimes are calculated using a Weber-Reynolds number relationship obtained from first principles. Good agreements with experimental data for turbulence and secondary break-up effects on the drop size are also achieved. It is projected that small modifications of the source terms within this framework can render possible analyses of other important processes, such as swirl sprays and air-blast atomisation.