Effervescent Atomization Characteristics in Fluid Dynamics
Summary
Effervescent atomization is a specialised internal-mixing technique in which pressurised gas is introduced into a liquid feed stream prior to discharge, generating fine droplets through rapid bubble expansion and gas–liquid shear. This method offers precise control of spray structure, enhanced atomization efficiency at modest gas consumption and reduced sensitivity to liquid viscosity. Key parameters influencing performance include the gas-to-liquid ratio, nozzle geometry (orifice diameter, length-to-diameter ratio and port configuration), and operating pressures. Effervescent atomizers produce narrow droplet size distributions with minimal sensitivity to fluctuations in upstream pressure, making them attractive for applications in combustion of heavy or viscous fuels, spray drying of concentrated suspensions and precision coating. Advanced diagnostics—such as Phase-Doppler anemometry and high-speed imaging—combined with computational fluid dynamics have elucidated the transient behaviour of the internal gas core, liquid film thickness and downstream spray dispersion. Ongoing research addresses flow stability, discharge efficiency and scale-up strategies to meet industrial demands for low-emission burners, pharmaceutical sprays and additive-manufacturing processes.
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Effervescent Atomization Characteristics in Fluid Dynamics publication trend
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Technical terms
Effervescent atomization: Internal-mixing spray method in which gas is pre-injected into liquid, forming bubbles that expand to produce droplets.
Gas-to-liquid ratio (GLR): Mass or volumetric ratio of atomizing gas to liquid feed, controlling bubble formation and droplet size.
Discharge coefficient (CD): Dimensionless parameter quantifying flow efficiency through an atomizer orifice relative to ideal discharge.
Droplet size distribution: Statistical representation of spray droplet diameters, often expressed by D32 or Dv50 metrics.
Internal mixing twin-fluid atomizer: Atomizer design where gas and liquid phases mix within the nozzle before exiting as a two-phase jet.
References
- Interaction of fuel spray and air swirl on the combustion of residue oils. Applied Thermal Engineering (2023).
- The Effect of Geometrical, Operational, Mixing Methods, and Rheological Parameters on Discharge Coefficients of Internal-Mixing Twin-Fluid Atomizers. Processes (2020).
- Numerical simulation of three-dimensional transient flow characteristics for a dual-fluid atomizer. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics (2019).
- Characteristics of droplet motion in effervescent sprays. EPJ Web of Conferences (2014).
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