Numerical investigation on atomization characteristics of sustainable aviation biofuel

Abstract

It is critical to investigate the atomization features of sustainable aviation biofuel (SAF) to reduce carbon emissions. Fluent software was used to quantitatively simulate the atomization of the fuel. The control variable method was utilized to compare SAF to Chinese aviation fuel RP-3. The volume of fluid model (VOF) and the discrete phase model (DPM) were used to explore the variation law of SAF atomization characteristics in a two-way centrifugal nozzle with a pressure drop of 2–8 MPa and various nozzle configurations. The experimental results suggest that the model is effective. The results demonstrate that when pressure increases, the average diameter of SAF’s Sauter mean diameter reduces from 80 to 23 µm and the spray penetration distance increases from 0.32 to 0.6 m, allowing for more stable fuel combustion. Meanwhile, as the nozzle outlet aspect ratio increases, such as increasing the nozzle diameter from 2.0 to 2.6 mm, the atomization cone angle varies from 60° to 110° and gradually declines, although the average diameter of Sauter only varies minimally within a limited range of 30–40 µm. All of these findings indicate that SAF has good atomization properties and the potential to be used as an aviation fuel.