Water spray cooling of polymers

The cooling process in conventional rotomolding is relatively long due to poor thermal conductivity of plastics. The lack of internal cooling is a major limitation although rapid external cooling is possible. Various internal cooling methodologies have been studied to reduce the cycle time. These include the use of compressed air, cryogenic liquid nitrogen, chilled water coils, and cryogenic liquid carbon dioxide, all of which have limitations. However, this article demonstrates the use of water spray cooling of polymers as a viable and effective method for internal cooling in rotomolding. To this end, hydraulic, pneumatic, and ultrasonic nozzles were applied and evaluated using a specially constructed test rig to assess their efficiency. The effects of nozzle type and different parametric settings on water droplet size, velocity, and mass flow rate were analyzed and their influence on cooling rate, surface quality, and morphology of polymer exposed to spray cooling were characterized. The pneumatic nozzle provided highest average cooling rate while the hydraulic nozzle gave lowest average cooling rate. The ultrasonic nozzle with medium droplet size traveling at low velocity produced satisfactory surface finish. Water spray cooling produced smaller spherulites compared to ambient cooling whilst increasing the cooling rate decreases the percentage crystallinity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Experimental investigation and model improvement on the atomization performance of single-hole Y-jet nozzle with high liquid flow rate

Y-jet nozzle, as an efficient multi-hole internal-mixing twin-fluid atomizer, has been widely used for liquid fuel spray in many industrial processes. However, single-hole Y-jet nozzle with high liquid flow rate is indispensable in some confined situations due to a small spray cone angle. In this paper, the atomization performance of single-hole Y-jet nozzles with high liquid mass flow rates ranging from 400 to 1500 kg/h for practical semidry flue gas desulfurization processes was investigated by the laser particle size analyzer, and the effects of spray water pressure, atomizing air pressure and air to liquid mass flow ratio on the liquid mass flow rate and the droplet size distribution were analyzed. Moreover, the secondary atomization model was modified on the basis of previous random atomization model of Y-jet nozzle. The predicted results agreed well with the experimental ones, and the improved atomization model of Y-jet nozzle was well validated to design the nozzle geometry and to predict the droplet size distributions for single-hole Y-jet nozzle with high liquid mass flow rate.     

Influence of Nozzle Parameters on Spray Pattern and Droplet Characteristics for a Two-Fluid Nozzle

In this study, a two-fluid nozzle, as, e.g., used in fluidized-bed or spray drying applications, is comprehensively characterized regarding the spray pattern and droplet size. To analyze the spray cone, the spray cone angle and the radial mass distribution of the nozzle were measured at varied liquid flow rate, spray air pressure, liquid insert bore diameter, and air cap position. Additionally, droplet size distributions were recorded at different spray settings. In general, the overall spray cone and single droplets are significantly influenced by the spray parameters, especially the spray air pressure, as well as the nozzle geometry.     

Assessment of fire protection performance of water mist applied in exhaust ducts for semiconductor fabrication process

Fume exhaust pipes used in semiconductor facilities underwent a series of fire tests to evaluate the performance of a water mist system. The parameters considered were the amount of water that the mist nozzles used, the air flow velocity, the fire intensity and the water mist system operating pressure. In order to make a performance comparison, tests were also performed with a standard sprinkler system. The base case served as a reference and applied a single water mist nozzle (100 bar operating pressure, 7.3 l/min water volume flux and 200 µm mean droplet size) installed in the pipe (60 cm in diameter) subjected to a 350°C air flow with an average velocity of 2 m/s. In such a case, the temperature in the hot flow dropped sharply as the water mist nozzle was activated and reached a 60°C saturation point. Under the same operating conditions, four mist nozzles were applied, and made no further contribution to reducing the fire temperature compared with the case using only a single nozzle. Similar fire protection performances to that in the base case were still retained when the exhaust flow velocity increased to 3 m/s and the inlet air temperature was increased to 500°C due to a stronger input fire scenario, respectively. Changing to a water mist system produced a better performance than a standard sprinkler. With regard to the effect of operating pressure of water mist system, a higher operating pressure can have a better performance. The results above indicate that the droplet size in a water‐related fire protection system plays a critical role. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cyclone Washer Adapted from an American‐Type Cyclone Separator

A modified cyclone washer was designed, fabricated, and its collection efficiency evaluated. This equipment consists of an American‐type cyclone separator with a triple cone and a spray nozzle was introduced into its cylindrical body. The study consisted of an experimental evaluation of the operating conditions at ambient and higher than ambient temperatures, varying chimney height and water flow rate, with the purpose of humidifying the dust. The collection efficiency of the cyclone washer was evaluated particles of micronized quartz with an average diameter of 7.48 μm and a density of 2.650 g/cm³. The amount of particles varied from 20–100 mg/m³ of air. An average efficiency of 97.07 ± 1.03 % was obtained with four spray nozzles, a chimney height of 0.645 m and 0.358 m³/s of gas.     

受限空间内空心锥形喷雾-横流掺混规律

在自建的冷态横流-旋流喷雾两相掺混系统实验台上,采用PIV测量了掺混通道内气液两相掺混过程中液滴群的运动特性,获得了掺混流场中不同位置的液滴分布图像与流场结构特性。实验段结构为方腔（横截面尺寸为95 mm×95 mm）,喷嘴采用空心锥形雾化喷嘴。对影响掺混效果的主要参数（横流速度、喷嘴雾化压力、喷嘴雾化粒径）进行了详细研究,绘出了最佳掺混效果下各参数关系曲线。掺混过程主要受不同尺度的旋涡结构影响,液滴多富集于旋涡边缘,稳定的大尺度涡不利于掺混。提高掺混效果的途径即是避免流场中出现稳定的大尺度旋涡结构,采用喷嘴前倾布置、增加喷嘴个数、确定合适的横流速度均是提高掺混效果的有效途径。分析方法与研究结果为工程实际应用中掺混室结构的设计及掺混性能的改进提供了依据和参考。     

Spray characteristics of a swirl atomiser in trigger sprayers using water–ethanol mixtures

Pressure swirl atomisers are widely used in both industry and daily life. It is critical to understand the spray transient behaviour for better design of these systems. This paper presents an experimental study of conical liquid sheets breakup from a swirl atomiser nozzle in trigger sprayers. Spray and atomisation characteristics were measured and analysed. Water–ethanol mixtures were used to simulate different fluids on the breakup and atomisation quality of the spray development process with a wide range of surface tension while maintaining relatively small changes in fluid viscosity and density. The spray images were taken by a high speed digital camera and post‐processed to analyse the global spray structure, spray cone angle, and breakup length. The droplet size and its distribution were measured using a laser diffraction technique. It was observed that the surface waves grow rapidly on the cone‐shaped liquid sheets and breakup into liquid ligaments and droplets during the initial stage of fluid dispensing. Then the spray transitions into the developed stage. Near the end of the dispensing process, the liquid cone collapses with poor atomisation (large droplets) due to momentum loss. The comparison between different fluids showed that the spray cone angle and liquid breakup length decreased with the increase of ethanol percentage ratio. The percentiles parameters, Sauter mean diameter (SMD) and particle size distribution were measured and compared for different locations. High surface tension fluids produce larger droplets than lower surface tension fluids, which have the same trend as the percentiles parameters and SMD. Results also show that droplet size and its distribution depend on the location of the measurement. Generally speaking, smaller droplet size is found for a location away from the nozzle axis in the vertical direction. In the horizontal direction, larger droplet sizes are found for a location closer to the nozzle exit. © 2013 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

The influence of airflow on fuel spray characteristics from a slit injector

Optimization of fuel spray, airflow, and their interaction with the cylinder and piston wall is crucial to achieve stable combustion of stratified charge with minimum emissions in direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) engines. In this study, the interaction between air and fuel spray from slit injector was investigated in a steady airflow system generated by a wind tunnel under atmospheric conditions. Both Mie scattering images and phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) measurements of the spray were analyzed for different air velocities. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3-D CFD) have been employed to further explain the mutual interaction between air and spray. It was found that increasing the airflow velocity across the spray results in a significant change in the bottom part of the spray while a slight change was observed close to the nozzle exit. The variation in spray geometry, which is mainly attributed to an aerodynamic effect and to extracted droplets from the main spray by the airflow effect, was evaluated and presented for different air velocities. The spray droplet size redistribution within the spray plume was investigated, and regions with smaller and larger droplets were identified and discussed. The results indicate that the effect of airflow pattern on droplet size distribution within the spray is a considerable factor in the optimization of airflow and spray together. This could be considered in achieving a limited ignitable region without much diffusion of smaller droplets to the non burning zone during the part load operation of DISI engines.     

旋涡压力喷嘴的雾化特性

利用FAM激光粒度测量仪,以水为工质对不同结构旋涡压力喷嘴在不同压力条件下的雾化特性进行了实验研究。建立了描述喷嘴结构、操作压力及喷出速度与液体雾滴平均直径之间关系的数学模型,为进一步优化设计旋涡压力喷嘴提供了依据。     

空气助力改善气化炉激冷室喷嘴特性的实验研究

设计了4种不同结构的用于气化炉激冷室内喷雾激冷的压力雾化喷嘴,采用马尔文激光粒度分析仪和数码单反照相机分别测量了不同压差、不同水流量等工况参数下的液滴粒径(SMD)D32分布和雾化角变化规律,并对4种喷嘴进行了优化选型。研究结果表明:雾滴粒径随压力的增加而减小,随水流量的减小而减小,空气助力可以明显改善液滴的雾化质量;雾化角随压差的增大先增大后趋于平缓;当压差增大到0.4 MPa时,雾滴粒径、雾化角等参数的变化渐趋平缓。通过比较气化炉激冷室中4种压力式雾化喷嘴的测量结果,1-2号内混式空气雾化喷嘴在4组喷嘴中具有最好的雾化效果,当气压为0.8 MPa,水流量为20 L/h时,SMD极小值为16,因此优选出喷嘴1-2作为气化炉激冷室冷模实验的定型喷嘴。     

有限截面通道内喷雾顺流掺混动力学特征的实验研究

设计搭建了有限截面通道顺流喷雾掺混实验台,在横截面为70 mm×70 mm的透明方形掺混段内,将室温水经喷嘴雾化后顺流掺入不同流速的室温空气。实验中,喷水压力为0.1～1.5 MPa,风速为14.6～46.2 m?s^-1。分别采用高速摄影和马尔文粒度仪对该雾羽的速度场和初始粒径等动力学特征开展了实验研究。结果指出：掺混雾羽的径向速度及喷射轴线附近的轴向速度主要受制于喷水压力;而雾羽两翼处的轴向速度主要受风速影响。定义轴向平均速度为雾羽轴向特征速度,该平均速度随喷水压力或喷射距离的增大而增大;在喷水压力小时,风速的增大可使轴向平均速度随喷射距离增大的速率提高;在喷水压力高时则反之。掺混雾羽的初始粒径随喷水压力的减小或喷嘴出口处气液相对速度的增大而减小。最后,根据实验结果拟合了轴向平均速度和初始粒径的实验关联式,其计算值与实验值吻合良好。     

DROPLET SIZE-VELOCITY CHARACTERISTICS OF SPRAYS GENERATED BY TWO-PHASE FEED NOZZLES

The present study focuses on the evaluation of the droplet size-velocity characteristics of sprays generated using two-phase flow feed nozzles. Two types of nozzles were used in the study and for convenience these are designated as Nozzle-A and Nozzle-B, respectively. Liquid nitrogen is used to simulate feeds that undergo vaporization upon injection into the processing vessel and air is used as the carrier gas. For each test, the liquid flow rate and the aeration rate are varied and the droplet size-velocity measurements are conducted using a Phase-Doppler Particle Analyzer. The droplet size and velocity measurements are carried out at various axial locations along the spray. At each axial location, measurements are performed at various radial positions. The main variables of interest include the droplet velocity, droplet diameter, droplet count fraction and the droplet size-velocity correlation factor. The results indicate that the two nozzles considered in the present study generate sprays with varying characteristics. The aeration rate has a larger influence on the spray generated by Nozzle-B. The droplet size distributions are found to be sensitive to changes in the aeration rate. The droplet velocity characteristics are different from those reported in earlier studies on single-phase and droplet-laden jets.     

FLUID SHEET THICKNESS AND VELOCITY AT THE TIP OF A BLACK LIQUOR SPLASHPLATE NOZZLE

The fluid sheet thickness and velocity at the tip of a spray nozzle have previously been identified as being important to the ultimate droplet size distribution. In this investigation both the fluid sheet thickness and the velocity of the top surface just beyond the rim of a splashplate nozzle have been measured as functions of nozzle exit velocity and fluid viscosity. Measurements were made on two Babcock & Wilcox Co. splashplate nozzles, a 12-49 and a 15-52, specifically designed for black liquor, a by-product of wood pulping. Comparisons of the ratio of the sheet velocity to the nozzle velocity are shown to be very similar to previous data for the ratio of droplet velocity to nozzle velocity. Likewise, the dependence of the sheet thickness on nozzle exit velocity closely matches the previously measured dependence of the ultimate median droplet size on nozzle exit velocity. Both of these results are consistent with current theories of droplet formation mechanisms. Analysis of continuity and viscous drag on the splashplate are used to develop correlation equations for the data     

Simulation of sprinkler—hot layer interaction using a field model

This paper reports a study of the interaction of a sprinkler water spray with the fire-induced hot layer using the field modelling technique. Data obtained in the large test room of the recent Swedish experiments reported by Ingason and Olsson (1992) are used to validate the results. The problem is divided into a gas phase and a liquid phase. For the gas phase, the set of conservation equations for mass, momentum and enthalpy of air flow induced by the fire is solved numerically using the Pressure Implicit Splitting Operator (PISO) algorithm. For the liquid phase, the sprinkler water spray is described by a number of droplets with initial velocity and diameter calculated by empirical expressions for the nozzle at different operating water pressures and flow rates. The trajectory of each droplet is calculated by solving the equation of motions, by including the dragging and heat transfer with the hot layer. The water droplet is assumed to be non-evaporating and only the source terms in the gas momentum and enthalpy equations of the air flow included the interaction effects with water droplets, i.e. the ‘Particle-Source-in-Cell’ method. The predicted results include the gas flow, temperature and smoke concentration field; the shape of the water spray; and some relevant macroscopic parameters such as amount of convective cooling, drag-to-buoyancy ratio, etc. The average smoke layer temperature and the smoke layer interface height are also calculated. The effect of the mean droplet size on those parameters is illustrated. Finally, a comparison of the water density received at floor level in cases with and without the fire is made.     

An Electrospray Method Using a Multi‐Capillary Nozzle Emitter

A multi‐capillary nozzle emitter consisting of one metal plate with capillary nozzles and a ring type counter electrode was used as a multi‐electrospray atomizer. The number of capillary nozzles, flow rate of the liquid and the interval between the capillary nozzles were changed, and the droplet diameter and the voltage required for a steady cone‐jet mode were measured. For the multi‐capillary nozzle emitter, the interaction between the capillary nozzles is the important factor for obtaining fine droplets of uniform size. These fine droplets are obtained when there is only a small interaction between the capillary nozzles, and the equations obtained from the single capillary nozzle case are also applicable for the multi‐capillary nozzle emitter. When the number of capillary nozzles decreases (a situation which is not good for obtaining a large amount of droplets) or the interval between the capillary nozzles increases, the interaction between the capillary nozzles can be reduced. As the number of capillary nozzles increase, a higher voltage is required to obtain a fine droplet of uniform size.     

Numerical modeling of an evaporative spray in a riser

A numerical model is developed for modeling the evaporative spray in a hot gas-solid flow. Phenomenological sub-models for the interaction between the cold evaporative spray droplets and hot particles, including momentum exchange, heat and mass transfer, are proposed based on previous experimental and numerical studies in the literature. Simulation of an evaporative water spray through a hollow cone spray nozzle in a riser operated at an elevated temperature is conducted. Comparison with available experimental measurements in terms of the spray expansion and spray width is performed, and reasonable agreement is obtained. The effect of various parameters introduced into the model is investigated in parametric studies, and appropriate values for those parameters are suggested. In addition, influences of various operating conditions including droplet size, bed temperature, and spray angle are evaluated.     

空心喷嘴喷淋特性实验研究

为使大型水平管降膜多效蒸发海水淡化装置的横管降膜蒸发器均匀布液,自主设计并搭建了一套离心喷嘴喷淋特性实验台及径向喷淋密度测量装置,通过高速摄影仪拍摄的喷淋照片对喷淋外缘进行标注测量,得到喷嘴各喷淋锥角,对旋流式空心喷嘴的流量、喷淋锥角和径向喷淋密度等喷淋参数随入口压力、喷淋高度的变化规律进行实验探究分析。结果表明,流量随入口压力增加而增加,但入口压力越大,流量增长速度越缓慢;正常工况下,喷淋锥角由喷嘴出口扩张段角度决定,与喷嘴扩张角保持一致,在重力作用下出现向内的收缩圆弧液膜边;喷淋形状为规则的环形喷淋,入口压力增加使有效喷淋区域整体向中心压缩,喷淋密度峰值变大,两波峰的对称性得到改善,压力为349 kPa时,喷淋密度基本完全对称,增加喷淋高度则情况相反。根据此喷淋密度分布特点,在设计横管蒸发布液器时合理控制工况压强,根据峰谷叠加原理可有效消除无效喷淋区域。     

新型湿法除尘系统内气液两相流动的数值模拟

结合湿法除尘及挡板绕流技术,本文设计开发了一种带有挡板结构的新型湿法除尘系统。为探究该系统内挡板结构诱导产生的涡旋流动特性及其内部离散相运动规律,基于计算流体力学（CFD）方法,文章选用重整规划群（RNG）k-ε湍流模型数值对比了不同挡板参数下的涡旋结构、速度分布及压降情况等气相流场特性。同时利用离散相模型（DPM）分析了不同工况下喷淋液滴的运动轨迹、逃逸率及驻留时间表现。结果表明,集尘区内弓形挡板的设置可诱导产生涡旋流动,不仅能够抑制低速“流动死区”,同时还可不同程度改善喷淋液滴逃逸情况、有效延长其在装置内的驻留时间。综合考虑气相入口速度v、挡板安放角θ及喷淋液滴粒径D_p的影响,文章推导获得了液滴逃逸率的计算公式,可较为准确地预测喷淋液滴的运动情况。     

An atomization model for splash plate nozzles

A model for the atomization and spray formation by splash plate nozzles is presented. This model is based on the liquid sheet formation theory due to an oblique impingement of a liquid jet on a solid surface. The continuous liquid sheet formed by the jet impingement is replaced with a set of dispersed droplets. The initial droplet sizes and velocities are determined based on theoretically predicted liquid sheet thickness and velocity. A Lagrangian spray code is used to model the spray dynamics and droplet size distribution further downstream of the nozzle. Results of this model are confirmed by the experimental data on the droplet size distribution across the spray. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010     

Predicting Droplet Size Distribution by Image Processing Technique for an Air Blast Atomizer

An image processing technique was used to predict the size distribution of the high speed, fine droplets at downstream of an air blast atomizer. The spray visualization setup consisted of UV lamps as light source, a stroboscope for slowing down the droplet motion, and a digital camera to capture the droplet images. The experiments were carried out at different liquid flow rates with various nozzle diameters. Two key unknown parameters (spray half angle and dispersion angle) of the air blast atomizer model in Fluent were obtained from these experiments. Using the obtained parameters and other structural parameters, the spray modeling was performed, and the Rosin–Rammler distribution was obtained and compared with those obtained from image processing technique through a diagnostic matrix. Regarding the kappa value, the agreement between predictions of the Fluent model and the image processing technique was moderate.