Experimental characterization of liquid film behavior during droplets–polyethylene particle collision

Abstract Nowadays, the droplet–particle collision characteristics in the gas‐phase ethylene polymerization process are still unclear. The high‐speed photography and a quasi‐circle imaging approach are employed to study the collision interaction characteristics between liquid droplets and polyethylene particles. The liquid film evolution is studied through variations of the film thickness on the particle north pole, the dynamic contact angle, center angle and film thickness at the maximum extension. Results have found that for n ‐hexane the threshold temperature of the recoil happening increases with increasing initial Weber number, but for 1‐hexene it is stable. Over 70°C evaporation and splash occurs immediately. Under low Weber numbers, the water droplet stays for damping oscillations, the reference stable height of which is linearly related to temperatures. Moreover, three regimes of film thickness variation with time are identified and mathematically described, while Regime 3 characteristics are found strongly dependent on the liquid species, Weber number, and particle temperature.