Prediction of primary atomization using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics

In modern jet engines mostly air blast atomizers are used for the liquid fuel injection. The prediction of the spray generated by such atomizers was for a long time not feasible because of restricted computing resources. However, with modern super-computers the prediction of the atomization has come into reach. In the present paper a new approach for the numerical prediction of the primary atomization is presented. The methodology is based on the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), which has originally been developed in the context of astrophysics. The numerical predictions to be presented were performed for a planar model atomizer, for which a vast amount of experimental data was collected by us previously. The major objectives of the numerical predictions are to elaborate the mechanism governing the effect of thickness of the trailing edge of the prefilmer on the size of the droplets and the temporal droplet formation rate. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.