Surface instability and primary atomization characteristics of straight liquid jet sprays

Using the detailed numerical simulation data of primary atomization, the liquid surface instability development that leads to atomization is characterized. The numerical results are compared with a theoretical analysis of liquid–gas layer for a parameter range close to high-speed Diesel jet fuel injection. For intermittent and short-duration Diesel injection, the aerodynamic surface interaction and transient head formation play an important role. The present numerical setting excludes nozzle disturbances to primarily investigate this interfacial instability mechanism and the role of jet head. The first disturbed area is the jet head region, and the generated disturbances are fed into the upstream region through the gas phase. This leads to the viscous boundary layer instability development on the liquid jet core. By temporal tracking of surface pattern development including the phase velocity and stability regime and by the visualization of vortex structures near the boundary layer region, it is suggested that the instability mode is the Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) mode similar to the turbulent transition of solid-wall boundary layer. It is also demonstrated that the jet head and the liquid core play an interacting role, thus the jet head cannot be neglected in Diesel injection. In this study, this type of boundary layer instability has been demonstrated as a possible mechanism of primary atomization, especially for high-speed straight liquid jets. The effect of nozzle turbulence is a challenging but important issue, and it should be examined in the future.     

Linear Stability Analysis of a Viscous Liquid Sheet in a High-Speed Viscous Gas

Air-assisted atomizers in which a thin liquid sheet is deformed under the action of a high-speed air flow are extensively used in industrial applications, e.g., in aircraft turbojet injectors. Primary atomization in these devices is a consequence of the onset and growth of instabilities on the air/liquid interfaces. To better understand this process, a temporal linear instability analysis is applied to a thin planar liquid sheet flowing between two semi-infinite streams of a high-speed viscous gas. This study includes the full viscous effects both in the liquid and gas basic states and perturbations. The relevant dimensionless groups entering the non-dimensional Orr–Sommerfeld equations and boundary conditions are the liquid and gas stream Reynolds numbers, the gas to liquid momentum flux ratio, the gas/liquid velocity ratio, the Weber number and the equivalent gas boundary layer to liquid sheet thickness ratio. Growth rates and temporal frequencies as a function of the wave number, varying the different dimensionless parameters are presented, together with neutral stability curves. From the results of this parametric study it is concluded that when the physical properties of gas and liquid are fixed, the momentum flux ratio is especially relevant to determine the instability conditions. It is also observed that the gas boundary layer thickness strongly influences the wave propagation, and acts by damping sheet oscillation frequency and growth. This is especially important because viscosity in the basic gas velocity profile has always been ignored in instability analysis applied to the geometry under study. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ATOMIZATION OF A LIQUID DROP BY PULSATION

ＡＴＯＭＩＺＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＡＬＩＱＵＩＤＤＲＯＰＢＹＰＵＬＳＡＴＩＯＮ￥(林松飘，周哲玮)Ｓ．Ｐ．Ｌｉｎ；（ＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＭｅｃｈａｎｉｃａｌａｎｄＡｅｒｏｎａｕｔｉｃａｌＥｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｉｎｇＣｌａｒｋｓｏｎＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ，Ｐｏｔｓｄ...     

可压缩旋转气体中超空化射流的热稳定性

液体射流热稳定性研究是对射流稳定性问题的更深层次的探讨,可以进一步加深对液体射流分裂与雾化机理的认识,具有重要的学术意义和工程应用价值. 基于射流稳定性理论,在同时考虑射流周围气体旋转、射流和周围气体可压缩性以及射流液体中含空化气泡的条件下,建立了描述可压缩旋转气体中超空化射流热稳定性的数学模型,并对数学模型及其求解方法进行了验证分析;在此基础上,分析了液体射流表面与周围气体间温差及射流内部温度梯度同时作用下对射流稳定性的影响;并进一步探讨了超空化射流的热稳定性. 结果表明,射流表面扰动波的最大扰动增长率、最不稳定频率以及最大扰动波数皆随气液温差的增大呈近似线性增大趋势;射流内部温度梯度的存在使得气液温差对射流的失稳作用更加显著;射流内部温度梯度会抑制超空化对射流稳定性的影响,但气液温差会在一定程度上促进超空化对射流的失稳作用.      

Effect of heat exchange on the interfacial instability of gas-liquid jet

IntroductionInrecentyears,theprosperityofmetalpowdermarket[1] andthedevelopmentofsprayformingtechniquesmakeitnecessarytostudythemechanismofjetatomization .Freelyfallinghightemperaturemetalliquid ,impactedbyhighspeedgasaround ,breaksintodropletsofdifferentsizes,whichprocedureiscalledair_blastatomizationorsprayatomization .Infact,thisprocesshasawiderengineeringapplications,rangingfromfuelinjectorsingasturbinesandjetengines,totwo_phaseflowchemicalreactors ,spraydrying ,andsoon .OnthebasisofKelvi…     

Properties of acoustic resonance in double-actuator ultra-sonic gas nozzle: numerical study

The ultra-sonic gas atomization(USGA) nozzle is an important apparatus in the metal liquid air-blast atomization process.It can generate oscillating supersonic gas efflux,which is proved to be effective to enforce the atomization and produce narrow-band particle distributions.A double-actuator ultra-sonic gas nozzle is proposed in the present paper by joining up two active signals at the ends of the resonance tubes.Numerical simulations are adopted to study the effects of the flow development on the acoustic resonant properties inside the Hartmann resonance cavity with/without actuators.Comparisons show that the strength and the onset process of oscillation are enhanced remarkably with the actuators.The multiple oscillating amplitude peaks are found on the response curves,and two kinds of typical behaviors,i.e.,the Hartmann mode and the global mode,are discussed for the corresponding frequencies.The results for two driving actuators are also investigated.When the amplitudes,the frequencies,or the phase difference of the input signals of the actuators are changed,the oscillating amplitudes of gas efflux can be altered effectively.     

Application of maximum entropy method for droplet size distribution prediction using instability analysis of liquid sheet

This paper describes the implementation of the instability analysis of wave growth on liquid jet surface, and maximum entropy principle (MEP) for prediction of droplet diameter distribution in primary breakup region. The early stage of the primary breakup, which contains the growth of wave on liquid–gas interface, is deterministic; whereas the droplet formation stage at the end of primary breakup is random and stochastic. The stage of droplet formation after the liquid bulk breakup can be modeled by statistical means based on the maximum entropy principle. The MEP provides a formulation that predicts the atomization process while satisfying constraint equations based on conservations of mass, momentum and energy. The deterministic aspect considers the instability of wave motion on jet surface before the liquid bulk breakup using the linear instability analysis, which provides information of the maximum growth rate and corresponding wavelength of instabilities in breakup zone. The two sub-models are coupled together using momentum source term and mean diameter of droplets. This model is also capable of considering drag force on droplets through gas–liquid interaction. The predicted results compared favorably with the experimentally measured droplet size distributions for hollow-cone sprays.     

Coaxial atomization of a round liquid jet in a high speed gas stream: A phenomenological study

Coaxial injectors have proven to be advantageous for the injection, atomization and mixing of propellants in cryogenic H₂/O₂ rocket engines. Thereby, a round liquid oxygen jet is atomized by a fast, coaxial gaseous hydrogen jet. This article summarizes phenomenological studies of coaxial spray generation under a broad variation of influencing parameters including injector design, inflow, and fluid conditions. The experimental investigations, performed using spark light photography and high speed cinematography in a shadow graph setup as main diagnostic means, illuminate the most important processes leading to atomization. These are identified as turbulence in the liquid jet, surface instability, surface wave growth and droplet detachment. Numerical simulations including free surface flow phenomena are a further diagnostic tool to elucidate some atomization particulars. The results of the study are of general importance in the field of liquid atomization.     

Entrainment for horizontal annular gas-liquid flow

Measurements of entrainment are presented for air and water flowing in horizontal 2.54 and 5.08 cm pipelines. After the initiation of atomization, entrainment increases with the third power of the gas velocity. At very high gas velocities a fully entrained oendition in reached for which further increases in the gas velocity do not cause a decrease in the flow rate of the wall film. Gas density bas a small effect provided comparisons are made at the same gas velocity rather than at the same mass flowrate. The results are interpreted by asauming that the rate of deposition of droplets on the wall film varies linearly with the concentration of droplets and that the rate of atomization of the wall film varies linearly with its flow rate.     

Experimental investigation of the atomization of drops of liquid under conditions of a gradual rise in the external forces

The article gives the results of an experiment on the effect of the physical properties of the liquid and the phase-contact time on atomization of drops under conditions of a gradual rise in the aerodynamic forces of the flow. It is shown that the value of the critical Weber number and the mechanism of the atomization of a drop are determined both by the conditions of the change in the relative velocity of the gas flow at the moment preceding atomization of the drop and by the values of the viscosity complex and the phase-contact time.     

非牛顿流体雾化力学机理研究

本文用稳定性分析和数值计算方法研究了粘弹性液体射流雾化的力学机理。结果表明,雾化液体的 Ohnesorge 数和 Deborah 数的增大均使波频 ω_i 降低,但前者使空间增长率 k_1上升,而后者的作用相反。本文发现,对于雾化液体应使其表面扰动波的波数大于某一确定波数,并尽量降低液体的 Deborah 数。     

Generation of hypersonic liquid fuel jets accompanying self-combustion

Aerodynamic behavior of pulsed hypersonic light oil jets injected at 2 km/s and 3 km/s is presented. Auto-ignition and combustion of the fuel during the injection process were visualized. The combustion around the disintegrating jet was enhanced by liquid atomization created by the very high injection pressure as well as the interfacial instability of the hypersonic jet. The jets were injected into air at low pressure and also that premixed with helium and air. It was found that the combustion was reduced in both cases despite the higher jet speed and the increased gas pressure. Received 5 November 1998 / Accepted 24 February 1999     

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.     

Interpretation of atomization rates of the liquid film in gas-liquid annular flow

For vertical gas-liquid annular flow the fraction of the liquid in the gas is controlled by the rate of atomization of the liquid film flowing along the wall and the rate of deposition of droplets entrained in the gas. Measurements of the rate of atomization are interpreted by a Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism. Small wavelets on the liquid film are visualized to be entrained when wave-induced variations in the gas pressure cannot be counterbalanced by surface tension effects.     

Effects of the gas phase molecular weight and bubble size on effervescent atomization

The effervescent atomization from an industrial Coker feed nozzle is compared for two different gas densities (air and mixed gas of 81.4 vol.% helium/18.6 vol.% nitrogen) at equivalent operating temperatures. The application is to observe the similarity of lab tests using air at 20 °C to the industrial process using steam at 300-400 °C. The effects of operating conditions, such as gas to liquid mass ratio, mixing pressure and void fraction on the flow regime, bubble size, and droplet size distribution were also examined in this study. The experiments were performed using mixtures of water with air or mixed gas, which resulted in gas to liquid mass ratios ranging from 1% to 4%.Stroboscopic back scattered imagery (SBSI) indicates that the average bubble size inside the nozzle conduit is similar when air and water are used as the process fluids, when compared to the case when mixed gas and water are used as the process fluids. Under similar conditions, the Phase Doppler Particle Anemometer (PDPA) data indicate that the droplet size in the spray is similar when using either mixed gas or air as the atomization gas.Experimental results obtained by high-speed video shadowgraphy (HSVS) indicate that the flow pattern inside the nozzle feeding conduit was slug flow with a tendency to attain annular flow with increased air to liquid mass ratios. Thus, from the experimental results it is evident that the smaller molecular weight of the mixed gas versus air (8.4 versus 29) does not significantly reduce the bubble (<±10% difference) and droplet size (<±1.5% difference), indicating a weak dependence of the gas phase density on two-phase atomization. This confirms that laboratory experiments on effervescent nozzles using air have reliable similarity to systems that use high temperature steam for the gas phase.     

On the role of the liquid flow characteristics on low-Weber-number atomization processes

At low Weber numbers, the aerodynamic forces due to the interaction between gas and liquid do not influence liquid atomization processes. In these situations, atomization processes depend on issuing liquid flow characteristics only. According to the literature, the atomization efficiency is best when the issuing liquid flow shows a high turbulence level. Some injectors are based on this concept and promote the production of turbulence by imposing deflection of the flow inside the nozzle. However, many studies indicate that the level of turbulence does not solely control the atomization efficiency. By conducting a numerical and experimental study on the behavior of cavity nozzles, it is found that internal flow deflection to produce turbulence also produces a non-axial flow component at the nozzle exit whose effect on the atomization process is of paramount importance. Indeed, the results show that the surface energy produced during the atomization process is linearly dependent on the sum of the turbulent kinetic energy and the non-axial kinetic energy at the nozzle exit. This sum represents the energy available for the atomization process, and the influence of the injection pressure as well as of the nozzle geometry on this energy is investigated.     

The breakup and atomization of a viscous liquid jet

Based on the linear analysis of stability, a dispersion equation is deduced which delineates the evolution of a general 3-dimensional disturbance on the free surface of an incompressible viscous liquid jet. With respect to the spatial growing disturbance mode, the numerical results obtained from the solution of the dispersion equation reveal that a dimensionless parameterJ _e exists. AsJ _e>1, the axisymmetric disturbance mode is most unstable; and whenJ _e<1, the asymmetric disturbances come into being, their growth rate increases with the decrease, ofJ _e, till one of them becomes the most unstable disturbance. The breakup of a low-speed liquid jet results from the developing of axisymmetric disturbances, whose instability is produced by the surface tension; while the atomization of a high-speed liquid jet is brought about by the evolution of nonaxisymmetric disturbance, whose instability is caused by the aerodynamic force on the interface between the jet and the ambient gas. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

The energy criterion of minimum equivalent diameter in gas atomization

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＧａｓａｔｏｍｉｚａｔｉｏｎｉｓａｐｒｏｃｅｓｔｈａｔｔｈｅｈｉｇｈ＿ｖｅｌｏｃｉｔｙｇａｓｉｍｐｉｎｇｅｓｏｎｔｈｅｍｏｌｔｅｎｍｅｔａｌｓｔｒｅａｍａｎｄｂｒｅａｋｓｉｔｕｐｉｎｔｏｄｒｏｐｌｅｔｓ．Ｂｅｉｎｇａｂａｓｉｃ...     

The atomization of water–oil emulsions

The paper presents the results of experimental studies on atomization of the emulsions flowing through twin-fluid atomizers obtained by the use of the digital microphotography method. The main elements of the test installation were: nozzle, reservoir, pump and measurement units of liquid flow. The photographs were taken by a digital camera with automatic flash at exposure time of 1/8000 s and subsequently analyzed using Image Pro-Plus. The oils used were mineral oils 20–90, 20–70, 20–50 and 20–30. The studies were performed at flow rates of liquid phase changed from 0.0014 to 0.011 (dm³/s) and gas phase changed from 0.28 to 1.4 (dm³/s), respectively. The analysis of photos shows that the droplets being formed during the liquid atomization have very different sizes. The smallest droplets have diameters of the order of 10 μm. The experimental results showed that the changes in physical properties of a liquid phase lead to the significant changes in the spray characteristics. The analysis of the photos of water and emulsions atomization process showed that the droplet sizes are dependent on gas and liquid flow rates, construction of nozzle and properties of liquid. The differences between characteristics of atomization for water and emulsions have been observed. Analysis of photos on forming the droplets in air–water and air-emulsions systems showed that droplets are bigger in air-emulsion system (at the same value of gas to liquid mass ratio). The values of Sauter mean diameter (SMD) increased with increase of volume fraction of oil in emulsion. The droplet size increased with emulsion viscosity.