We use a theoretical framework based on the integral form of the conservation equations, along with a heuristic model of the viscous dissipation, to find a closed-form solution to the liquid atomization problem. The energy balance for the spray renders to a quadratic formula for the drop size as a function, primarily of the liquid velocity. The Sauter mean diameter found using the quadratic formula shows good agreements and physical trends, when compared with experimental observations. This approach is shown to be applicable toward specifying initial drop size in computational fluid dynamics of spray flows.
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- Quadratic Formula for Determining the Drop Size in Pressure-Atomized Sprays With and Without Swirl
- Lee, T.-W. (Author)
- An, Keju (Author)
- Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering (Contributor)
- Digital object identifier: 10.1063/1.4951666
- Identifier TypeInternational standard serial numberIdentifier Value1070-6631
- Identifier TypeInternational standard serial numberIdentifier Value1089-7666
- This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. The following article appeared in Physics of Fluids and may be found at http://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.4951666, opens in a new window.
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Lee, T., & An, K. (2016). Quadratic formula for determining the drop size in pressure-atomized sprays with and without swirl. Physics of Fluids, 28(6), 063302. doi:10.1063/1.4951666