Effect of Drop Breakup on Fuel Sprays

Recently developed computer models are being applied to calculate complex interactions between sprays and gas motions. The three- dimensional KIVA code was modified to address drop breakup and was used to study fuel sprays. The results show that drop breakup influences spray penetration, vaporization and mixing in high pressure sprays. The spray drop size is the outcome of a competition between drop breakup and drop coalescence phenomena, and the atomization details at the injector are lost during these size rearrangements. Drop breakup dominates in hollow-cone sprays because coalescence is minimized by the expanding spray geometry. The results imply that it may be possible to use a simple injector and still control spray drop size and vaporization if the flow details are modified so as to enhance drop breakup and coalescence.