Liquid jets injected into non-uniform crossflow

An experimental study has been conducted with liquid jets injected transversely into a crossflow to study the effect of non-uniformities in the crossflow velocity distribution to the jet behavior. Two different non-uniform crossflows were created during this work, a shear-laden crossflow and a swirling crossflow.;The shear-laden crossflow was generated by merging two independent, co-directional, parallel airstreams creating a shear mixing layer at the interface between them. The crossflow exhibited a quasi-linear velocity gradient across the height of the test chamber. By varying the velocities of the two airstreams, the sense and the slope of the crossflow velocity gradient could be changed. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) studies were conducted to characterize the crossflow. The parameter, UR, is defined as the ratio of the velocities of the two streams and governs the velocity gradient. A positive velocity gradient was observed for UR > 1 and a negative velocity gradient for UR < 1. PIV and Phase Doppler Particle Anemometry (PDPA) studies were conducted to study the penetration and atomization of 0.5 mm diameter water jets injected into this crossflow. The crossflow velocity gradient was observed to have a significant effect on jet penetration as well as the post breakup spray. For high UR (> 1), jet penetration increased and the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) distribution became more uniform. For low UR (< 1), low penetration, higher droplet velocities and better atomization were observed.;The second crossflow tested was a swirling flow generated using in-house designed axial swirlers. Three swirlers were used, with vane exit angles of 30°, 45° and 60°. Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) was used to study the crossflow velocities. The axial (Ux) and the tangential (Utheta) components of the crossflow velocity were observed to decrease with increasing radial distance away from the centerbody. The flow angle of the crossflow was smaller than the vane exit angle, with the difference increasing with the vane exit angle. Water jets were injected from a 0.5 mm diameter orifice located on a cylindrical centerbody. Multi-plane PIV measurements were conducted to study the penetration and droplet velocity distribution of the jets. The jets were observed to follow a path close to the helical trajectory of the crossflow with a flow angle slightly less than the crossflow. This deficit in flow angle is attributed to the centrifugal acceleration experienced by the jet. Mie-Scattering images obtained from PIV were used to recreate the jet plume and to obtain the jet trajectory for penetration analysis. In cylindrical coordinate system, the jet penetration can be described in terms of radial and "circumferential" penetration, where circumferential penetration relates to the difference in the circumferential displacement of the jet and the crossflow over the same streamwise displacement. Radial penetration increased with q while circumferential penetration increased with swirl angle. PIV results from cross-sectional and streamwise planes were combined to generate three-dimensional droplet velocity distribution throughout the jet plume. The three-dimensional velocity distribution yielded further insight into the evolution of the jet plume...