Breakup of the Water Sheet Formed by Two Liquid Impinging Jets

Abstract

Flow visualization experiments are carried out to study the flow regimes and breakup length of the water sheet generated by two impinging liquid jets from an atomizer made of two identical tubes 0.686 mm in diameter. These experiments cover liquid jet Reynolds numbers based on the pipe diameter in the range of 1541 to 5394. The effects of the jet velocities and impingement angle between the two jets on the breakup performance are studied. Four spray patterns are recognized, which are presheet formation, smooth sheet, ruffled sheet, and open-rim sheet regimes. Water sheet breakup length is found to be consistent with previous experimental and theoretical results in the lower Weber number (based on water jet diameter and velocity) range. In the relatively high Weber number range, the breakup length tends to a constant value with increasing Weber number, and some discrepancies between experimental and theoretical predictions do exist. Measured water sheet area increases with increasing liquid jet Reynolds numbers and impingement angle within the range of the current study.