Numerical and experimental study of the break-up of water sheet into drops

The PhD project deals with the numerical calculation and experimental investigation of the atomisation processes in sprays produced by pressure-swirl or Y-jet atomisers. Therefore, the development of a numerical model for the simulation of the break-up of a liquid sheet into drops is interesting. Application of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis and the use of modern computers make it possible for the calculations of complex sprays and break-up processes. A complete spray model must consider sheet break-up to yield a dilute dispersed flow and interactions between the liquid phase and air or the gas phase. The approach to these problems depends on the way the spray is modelled. Therefore, different spray models and numerical models are considered. In order to obtain information on drop sizes and velocities in different sprays and to provide data for validation of numerical predictions, measurements by phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) will be performed. Furthermore, a new technique called interferometric particle imaging (IPI) will be tested on different sprays. In order to analyse liquid sheet dynamics close to the nozzle exit the use of planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is considered. The project is co-sponsored by Danfoss A/S and Aalborg industries A/S. (Jesper Madsen, Jette Harbo, Tron Solberg, Bjørn H. Hjertager)