This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will study the spray atomization and mixing performance of effervescent (or aerated-liquid, or barbotage) atomizer in a subsonic crossflow environment, both experimentally and numerically. The investigation of phenomena associated with the atomization of aerated-liquid jets injected into a subsonic crossflow poses significant challenges due to the complexity involved among liquid, barbotage gas, and cross-stream air. The research objectives are: 1) to identify the near-field spray breakup mechanisms, 2) to characterize the far-field spray structures, and 3) to explore the flow control capability of aerated-liquid injectors. Extensive experimentation will be accomplished, allowing for complete characterization of atomization processes, including pulsed shadowgraph (for the global spray structure visualization and penetration height measurements), holography (for the near-field column structure studies), and PDPA (for the far-field spray structure measurements). Flow control capability of the aerated-liquid injectors in subsonic crossflows will be investigated in terms of the discharge coefficients. Numerical simulations will be performed using the KIVA computer code to predict the far-field spray structures. The application of aerated-liquid atomizers in subsonic crossflows is anticipated to offer enhanced atomization and superior fuel-air mixing in a wide array of engines, such as gas turbine engines, rocket engines, and high-speed air-breathing engines.
