Numerical simulation of jet break‐up using the local front reconstruction method

Abstract

Primary break‐up of liquid jets is often encountered in industrial processes and is scientifically challenging due to its complexity. An accurate description of the break‐up length and droplet sizes is critical for controlling the jet dynamics and hence the process performance. Despite the extensive research performed on jet break‐up, the existing correlations are not universally applicable to all encountered flow conditions. In this article, we perform Direct Numerical Simulation of a cylindrical liquid jet using the Local Front Reconstruction Method (LFRM) to track the liquid‐gas interface. Experiments are also carried out to validate the simulation results in the same range of Reynolds and Weber numbers. The LFRM method is able to accurately reproduce the experimental break‐up lengths and droplet diameters. The surface waves propagating along the jet are compared with the dominant wavelengths reported in literature. It can be concluded that LFRM can accurately describe the dynamics of laminar jets.