Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.12, No.6, 750-755, 2004
An experimental investigation of agglomeration with one and two nozzle atomisation
Water-droplet size and velocity measurements were taken throughout two different sprays produced by a single nozzle and two nozzles pointed towards each other, The aim of this investigation was to understand the manner in which the motion of the droplets in a spray leads to agglomeration of these droplets. It appears that the inertia of the droplets plays an important role in the redistribution of droplets throughout a spray. Larger droplets tend to concentrate at the outer portions of the spray, because they are able to maintain their radial momentum farther downstream of a nozzle, while the smaller droplets follow the airflow more closely and thus collect in the core of the spray. Agglomeration can result from both turbulent collisions and collisions due to the relative velocities of the droplets. The difference between the agglomeration rates in the sprays from a single nozzle and two-nozzles pointed towards each other was difficult to resolve in these experiments, although the results suggest that the outer portions of both sprays should be investigated more closely for evidence of agglomeration.