The spray from an airblast atomizer was investigated by the Phase-Doppler technique. The drop size-velocity data determined the properties of the gas and droplet phases. Formulae to estimate mean diameters and size distributions of sprays were evaluated. The Gamma PDF described most accurately the size distribution of the spray.

The present work comparably examines four different twin-fluid atomizers operated under the same operating conditions. Spray formation was examined by several approaches. The internal flow pattern was estimated using a simplified analytical approach, and the results were supported by the observation of the liquid discharge in the near-nozzle region. A high-speed back illumination was used for visualisation of the primary breakup. In the region of fully developed spray, the dynamics of droplets was studied using a phase-Doppler analyser (PDA). The information obtained from all methods was then correlated. Results show that the spray formation process depends mainly on the internal design of twin-fluid atomizer at low gas to liquid ratios (GLR). The amount of gas influences the character of the internal two-phase flow, a mechanism of the liquid breakup, droplet dynamics and a resulting drop size distribution. Differences among the atomizers are reduced with the increase in GLR. Moreover, it was shown that a certain mixing process can inherently create the annular internal flow which generates a stable spray characterized by relatively low mean droplet size.

This work experimentally examines the primary atomization processes in a newly developed atomizer, similar to effervescent atomizer concept, at low pressures and low gas-to-liquid ratios (GLR). Several experimental and post-processing techniques are applied to investigate the spray spatial evolution. The near-nozzle area is captured by a high-speed camera with a long-distance microscope. Further, characteristics of the developed spray are investigated by a phase-Doppler analyser (PDA). The high-speed recordings are processed by the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The frequency analysis of examined phenomenon is done by the fast Fourier transformation (FFT) at selected positions in the images. The POD enables to sort out data according to the importance of characteristic shapes occurring in the recordings. The velocity and dimensions of discharging liquid are measured in images by a point-tracking method. Dimensionless criteria are estimated to describe the atomization principles where several new findings are found comparing the previous studies. The spatial spray evolution is described by the processed PDA data. A simplification, based on the Stokes number, is used to estimate a gas motion in the spray. This approach enables to investigate the interaction between the spray and ambient atmosphere. The combination of experimental and post-processing techniques confirms the previous findings of the improved effervescent atomizer. In other words, the atomizer operates inherently at annular twophase flow regime which, however, leads to a specific atomizing mechanism i.e. bubble bursts, the same as in the effervescent spraying process. However, an importance of the interaction between the two following bubble bursts is highlighted as driving atomization mechanism. This specific behaviour is reason why the atomizer can be operated at low consumption of gas and low-pressure regimes. Moreover, the applied experimental and post-processing techniques indicate a potential for further advanced data post-processing of the stochastic processes of liquid atomization.

Abstract. Time resolved droplet size and velocity measurement was made using Phase-Doppler anemometry in an effervescent spray at GLR of 6 % and operation pressure drops 21 -52 kPa. The spray shows a size dependent variation of mean as well as fluctuating axial and radial velocities of droplets similarly for all operation regimes. Particles under 13 μm follow the gas flow, axially decelerated due to gas expansion. Velocity of medium sized particles is positively size correlated and larger particles keep high velocity, given them during discharge. Fluctuating radial velocity of small particles is larger than that of large particles while fluctuating axial velocity increases with size. Small particles thus reach a ratio of radial to axial velocity fluctuations ~ 0.6 but large particles only ~ 0.1, which indicates large transverse dispersion of small particles. Overall fluctuating velocity ratios smaller than 0.5 document an anisotropic character of the liquid mass fluctuations. Power spectral density (PSD) of axial velocity fluctuations of large droplets is uniform up to 1 kHz, while PSD of smaller particles drops down with frequency for frequencies > 100 Hz. Large particles thus preserve the fluctuations imposed during discharge while the gas turbulence drops with frequency. Turbulence intensity reaches 14 to 21 % depending on pressure. Such high-turbulence character of the flow probably results from a heterogeneous gas-liquid mixture at the discharge.

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