Atomization and Sprays, Vol.13, No.2-3, 251-272, 2003
Development and assessment of a hybrid droplet collision model for two impinging sprays
The present article proposes a new hybrid collision model to analyze the interspray impingement system. The new hybrid collision model proposes a new criterion for the collision threshold and also involves a collision-induced disintegration regime, together with three representative regimes, such as bouncing, separation, and coalescence. In particular, the new collision thresholds are devised to take account of both the preferred directions and the critical distance between the two impinging droplets from literature findings. A cumulative collision number is also introduced to effectively compare the differences between the present model and the original O'Rourke model. The interspray impingement systems are simulated under both low and high pressures of the gas phase, and the predictions are compared with experimental data such as spray shapes, Sauter mean diameter (SMD), and penetration lengths. The present model shows better agreement with experimental data in predicting droplet sizes for the low-gas-pressure case and spray patterns for the high-gas-pressure case than the O'Rourke model does. It is thus thought that the present hybrid model is acceptable in predicting the interspray impingement system effectively.