Liquid atomization

A systematic review of different liquid atomizers is presented, accompanied by a discussion of various mechanisms of droplet formation in a gas atmosphere as a function of the liquid flow-regime and the geometry of the atomizer. Equations are presented for the calculation of the mean droplet-diameter. In many applications, details of the droplet-size distribution are, also, important, e.g., approximate values of the breadth of the droplet formation are given. The efficiency of utilization of mechanical energy in droplet formation is indicated for the different types of atomizers.