Modeling and LES of high-pressure liquid injection under evaporating and non-evaporating conditions by a real fluid model and surface density approach

Numerical modeling of high-pressure liquid fuel injection remains a challenge in various applications. Indeed, experimental observations have shown that injected liquid fuel jet undergoes a continuous change of state from classical two-phase atomization and spray droplets evaporation to a dense-fluid mixing phenomenon depending on the ambient pressure, temperature, and fuel properties. Accordingly, a predictive and efficient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that can represent the possible coexistence of subcritical and supercritical regimes during the fuel injection event is required. The widely used Lagrangian Discrete Droplet Method (DDM) requires parameter tuning of model constants and cannot model the dense near-nozzle region. Meanwhile, the high computational cost of Interface Capturing Methods (ICM) has prohibited their application to industrial cases. Thus, another alternative is an Eulerian Diffuse Interface Model (DIM), where the unresolved interface features are modeled instead of being tracked. Accordingly, the current work proposes a fully compressible multi-component two-phase real-fluid model (RFM) with a diffused interface and closed by a thermodynamic equilibrium tabulation method based on a real-fluid equation of state. The RFM model is complemented with a postulated surface density equation for fuel atomization modeling within the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework. The Engine Combustion Network (ECN) Spray A injector non-evaporating and nominal evaporating conditions are used as a reference for the proposed model validation. Simulations are performed using the proposed RFM model that has been implemented in the CONVERGE CFD solver. Under the non-evaporating condition, the RFM model can capture well the fuel mass distribution in the near nozzle field, but also the interfacial surface area. Besides, the predicted drop size from simulations falls within the experimental data range. On the other hand, under the evaporating condition, spray liquid and vapor penetrations and fuel mixture fraction distribution are also accurately predicted. The vaporization effect on the surface area density is revealed to enhance surface generation in the dense spray region while reducing the surface density in the dilute spray region. The mean droplet size is also relatively reduced under the evaporating condition in the diluted spray region. Overall, the accuracy and computationally efficiency of the proposed RFM model coupled with the surface density equation for high-pressure fuel injection modeling are confirmed, allowing its use for high pressure industrial configurations in future studies.