Atomization Characteristics in Pneumatic Counterflowing Internal Mixing Nozzle

In an effort to illustrate the global variation of SMD (Sauter mean diameter, or $D_{32}$) and AMD (Arithmetic mean diameter, or $D_{10}$) at five axial downstream locations (i. e., at Z=30, 50, 80, 120, and 170 mm) under the different experimental conditions, the radial coordinate is normalized by the spray half-width. Experimental data to analyze the atomization characteristics concerning with an internal mixing type have been obtained using a PDPA(Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer). The air injection pressure was varied from 40 kPa to 120 kPa. In this study, counterflowing internal mixing nozzles manufactured at an angle of $15^{\circ}$with axi-symmetric tangential-drilled four holes have been considered. By comparing the results, it is clearly possible to discern the effects of increasing air pressure, suggesting that the disintegration process is enhanced and finer spray droplets can be obtained under higher air assist. The variations in $D_{32}$ are attributed to the characteristic feature of internal mixing nozzle in which the droplets are preferentially ejected downward with strong axial momentum, and dispersed with the larger droplets which are detected in the spray centerline at the near stations and smaller ones are generated due to further subsequent breakup by higher shear stresses at farther axial locations. The poor atomization around the centre close to the nozzle exit is attributed to the fact that the relatively lower rates of spherical particles are detected and these drops are not subject to instantaneous breakup in spite of the strong axial momentum. However, substantial increases in SMD from the central part toward the edge of the spray as they go farther downstream are mainly due to the fact that the relative velocity of droplet is too low to cause any subsequent disintegration.