Characterization of simulated small-droplet fuel sprays
A two-fluid pneumatic atomizer operating at relatively high liquid and gas pressures produced water sprays that simulated small-droplet clouds of liquid fuel for use in studying vaporization and fuel-air mixing effects on combustor performance and emissions. To characterize the sprays, a scattered-light scanning instrument was developed and measurements of volume median or volume mean diameter, D sub V.5, were correlated with D sub O, W sub w, and W sub n, i.e., orifice diameter, water, and nitrogen gas flow rates, respectively, to give the general expression: D sub v.5 approx. (D sub o sup 0.2) (W sub w sup m) (W sub n sup n), which yields D sub v.5 = 45 (D sub o sup 0.2) (W sub w sup 0.2) (W sub w sup - 1.2). Values of D sub o, W sub w, and W sub n are in centimeters and grams/second, respectively. Farther downstream at an axial distance of 6.7 cm, exponent m increased from 0.2 to 0.4 and exponent n decreased from -1.2 to -1.0 and at a distance of 25 cm downstream of the atomizer, n decreased to -0.8. The increase in exponent m and decrease in exponent n was attributed to a loss of very small droplets from the spray due primarily to vaporization and diffusion effects on clouds of small droplets traveling a distance of 25 cm.