Liquid Atomization in a High-Speed Slinger Atomizer

Abstract

Abstract The present research aims to investigate the liquid atomization process in a slinger atomizer test rig that houses a high-speed motor which allows high rotational speed of the slinger disc. Instead of delivering the liquid directly on the slinger disc, which is commonly reported in the literature, a stationary manifold was designed that receives the liquid from the pump and supply multiple liquid jets that impinge on the rotating slinger disc. The liquid jet breakup process was visualized using front light illumination technique. All experiments were performed using water as the working fluid and under atmospheric conditions. Four different water flow rates, ranging from 0.2 lpm up to 0.8 lpm were considered. The rotational speed of the slinger was varied from 5000 rpm up to 30000 rpm, which has been rarely reported in the past. The paper reports a comprehensive study on the differences in the liquid breakup modes due to higher liquid flow rate for the same rotational speed and vice-versa. Mostly the liquid was found to attach to the side of the slinger holes that is opposite to the direction of rotation indicating the strong influence of Coriolis forces on the liquid flow within the slinger and hence the atomization process. The droplet size in the spray was measured using the Interferometric Laser Imaging for Droplet Sizing (ILIDS) technique.