Sprays are used in a variety of technology intensive industries from microelectronic manufacturing to fire-protection applications. Because of the complexity of the physical processes associated with atomizing a continuous stream of fluid into a spray and the difficulty associated with characterizing atomization details, spray formation and its relationship to injection conditions is poorly understood. As a result, spray related development is inhibited by analytical concessions, which rely primarily on "cut and try" and empirical approaches. However, as computer based design tools become increasingly popular, detailed atomization models will be needed for computer-aided development, analysis, and evaluation of spray devices and systems. It is essential to precisely characterize engineered sprays in order to develop models to describe their behavior and to leverage this understanding for advancements in spray technology. Building on existing instrumentation and laboratory infrastructure, this team seeks to develop a major instrument capable of characterizing large-scale sprays (e.g. sprays used in fire suppression applications) while also providing the capability to interrogate small-scale sprays (e.g. sprays used in microelectronic applications). The Spatially-resolved Spray Scanning System (SSSS) expands on ideas from the PI's NSF PECASE research and a recent UM invention (PP: 61/548530) that allows for scanning the near-field of large-scale fire suppression sprays.
