Effect of phase change on jet atomization: a direct numerical simulation study

Abstract

Atomization is often accompanied by phase change, which could significantly affect performance parameters such as the cooling efficiency and combustion efficiency of atomization. Nevertheless, the effect of phase change on jet atomization is rarely numerically studied due to the complexity of the coupling of the aerodynamics and the thermodynamics as well as the modelling difficulty caused by the cross-scale flow. In this study, comprehensive direct numerical simulations were carried out to evaluate the effects of phase change on the primary breakup and secondary atomization. Two methods dealing with phase-interface movement and mass transfer across the interface are built to meet the requirements of different modelling scales and Weber numbers. Simulation results indicate that phase change affects the flow behaviours and volume distribution of broken droplets in the primary breakup. In the secondary atomization, phase change leads to significantly different deforming morphologies of droplets with low Weber number and a more thorough breakup of droplets with high Weber number.