It is widely recognized that the fuel-air mixing process is a critical factor in improving combustion efficiency and in minimizing pollutants such as NOx. Enhancement of fuel-air mixing can lead to lower pollutant emissions and greater efficiency. However, swirling flows in lean combustors play the role of fuel-air mixing and flame stability. The complex fluid dynamic phenomena encountered in swirling two-phase flow contribute to the difficulty in complete understanding of the different processes occurring in combustors. Fortunately, optical and laser-based visualization techniques available in our lab are important nonintrusive tools for visualizing flow process, especially for fuel injection and fuel-air mixing. To provide for a better understanding of effects of counter-rotating flow on droplets in atomization process, this study is a detailed characterization of the spray generated by an airblast atomizer by planar laser sheet imaging method. Optical facility for spray diagnostics with fuel planar laser induced fluorescence (fuel-PLIF) method for fuel distribution and particle image velocimetry (PIV) method for the velocity of droplets is used to evaluate the performance of an airblast atomizer. The results show that the performance of secondary atomization is influenced by swirling flow and primary atomization simultaneously; the swirling flow exhibits significant influence on the droplet size and space distribution relative to that of primary atomization. The primary swirling air reopens the spray cone generated by pressure-swirl atomizer, and the secondary swirling air affects the fuel distribution by forming the recirculation zone. The results provide critical information for the design and development of combustion chambers.
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February 2014
Research-Article
Experimental Investigation of Performance of an Air Blast Atomizer by Planar Laser Sheet Imaging Technique
Gang Xu
Gang Xu
e-mail: xug@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine
,Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190
, China
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Cunxi Liu
e-mail: liucunxi@iet.cn
Gang Xu
e-mail: xug@iet.cn
Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Key Laboratory of Light-Duty Gas-Turbine
,Institute of Engineering Thermophysics,
Chinese Academy of Science,
Beijing 100190
, China
Contributed by the Controls, Diagnostics and Instrumentation Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER. Manuscript received May 30, 2013; final manuscript received July 30, 2013; published online November 1, 2013. Editor: David Wisler.
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Feb 2014, 136(2): 021601 (8 pages)
Published Online: November 1, 2013
Article history
Received:
May 30, 2013
Revision Received:
July 30, 2013
Citation
Liu, C., Liu, F., Mao, Y., Mu, Y., and Xu, G. (November 1, 2013). "Experimental Investigation of Performance of an Air Blast Atomizer by Planar Laser Sheet Imaging Technique." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. February 2014; 136(2): 021601. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4025235
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