DIFFUSION OF A SUBMICRONIC SPRAY IN AN HOMOGENEOUS TURBULENT-FLOW

The prediction of the diffusion of a spray in a gaseous environment is still a difficult problem to solve, even when the droplets are small enough to be considered a passive contaminant. The present work proposes to use a simulation of the random trajectories of the individual particles based on the method proposed by Ormancey (1983), and Ormancey and Martinon (1983). It is applied to the case of a nozzle of finite dimensions discharging passive particles in homogeneous turbulent airstream at a low enough concentration to avoid neighboring effects. The results of this simulation compare favorably with those of an experiment designed to test the method. They are also in agreement with the Lagrangian diffusion theory of Taylor (1936). © 1990 Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc.