Experimental estimation of turbulence modulation in droplet-laden two-phase jet

Abstract

The effect of liquid droplets generated from air-assisted atomization on gas flow characteristics was studied experimentally. A phase/Doppler particle analyzer was used to measure velocity and size distributions of continuous and dispersed phases in the droplet-laden two-phase flow. A comparison of mean gas velocity with and without droplets indicates the expected influence of dispersed phase on the carrier phase, i.e., two-way coupling. The flow characterization result shows the presence of liquid droplets contributes to the increase of gas-phase flow velocity in the spray field. The effect of liquid droplets on gas-phase turbulence is manifested in three ways. First, the presence of droplets leads to the increase in fluctuation velocity of gas-phase flow. Subsequently, it is observed that the range of fluctuation velocities in the gas phase is expanded in two-phase flow compared with single-phase flow. In the region characterized by a steep velocity gradient, the initial gas fluctuation velocities in two-phase flow demonstrate a notable enhancement of 20% compared with single-phase flow. Furthermore, the presence of droplets induces axial stretching within the shear region of the gas phase, and this stretching effect is particularly pronounced in cases of higher fuel-injection durations, primarily due to the influence of droplet gravity. The data obtained from the analysis of velocity gradient and fluctuation velocity within the two-phase flow field reveal a distinct segmental linear relationship, deviating from previous findings reported in the literature and highlighting a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms in current two-phase flow systems.