Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2000

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Mechanical Engineering

Major Professor

Roy J. Schulz

Committee Members

Charles Merkle

Abstract

A new computer model for liquid atomization and breakup has been developed. The new code, LISAM, was written specifically to model non-reacting liquid sprays injected into simple chamber geometries. Momentum and continuity equations are solved to model the gas flow, and gas/droplet interaction is included through a gas momentum source term. Parametric studies and comparisons with experimental data were performed. Parametric studies yielded conclusions about drop size distributions and spray penetration behavior. Turbulence modeling is not currently included in LISAM, however the results of parametric simulations with viscosity levels set at higher levels suggest that turbulence effects may be important for both drop sizes and spray dispersal. Parcel injection rates must be large enough to ensure statistically significant results. Trade-offs in parcel injection rate and grid density must be made to find a level that provides accurate predictions without resulting in unreasonably high run times. Comparisons with NASA water/air experiments underscored the need for more complete experimental information. Experimental researchers need to provide as much detailed information on experimental setup and data acquisition as possible. Simple test configurations that provide drop size and velocity distributions as well as spray penetration rates and even gas field visualization would be useful for detailed evaluation of code models.

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