Atomization and Sprays, Vol.4, No.6, 643-659, 1994
COMBUSTION OF A POLYDISPERSE NONUNIFORM CLOUD OF FUEL DROPLETS IN A CONFINED FLOW SYSTEM
A theoretical study of the combustion of a nonuniform, multisize (polydisperse) cloud of fuel droplets of a general geometry, which occupies only part of the volume of a square combustion chamber in the presence of a flow field with streamlines of large curvature, is presented. The lag between the hosting fluid and droplet velocities is considered. The interaction of droplets within a group of droplets and between groups with concurrent effects on vaporization rates resulting from droplet collision and coalescence are accounted for. Calculated results are presented for: (1) changes in outer boundaries of the cloud due to changes in injection operating conditions; and (2) temperature distributions resulting from combustion. The results show marked differences in the temperature distributions resulting from (1) altering the initial droplet size distribution and (2) altering the fuel injection angle (i.e., altering cloud geometry and droplet velocities). The present study also indicates the importance of the interaction between droplets within a group and between groups.