INVESTIGATION OF TWO-PHASE FLOW IN AN EFFERVESCENT ATOMIZER

Aerated-liquid atomization, also called "effervescent atomization", is a technique that has a wide range of applications such as gas turbine combustors, internal combustion engines, furnaces and burners, and pharmaceutical sprays. We report on an experimental study conducted to investigate the two-phase flow in an Effervescent atomizer. A novel aerator tube base was implemented and tested. It is observed that the novel configuration suppresses the separation bubble at the trailing edge and results in more uniform and smaller bubbles compared to the standard flat base aerator. It has been found that the more uniform and smaller bubbles are generated as the mixing chamber length is reduced. It is concluded that by using a conical base aerator and by reducing the mixing chamber length, the spray steadiness and the atomization process can be significantly improved.