Studies on the mixing of liquid jets and pre-atomized sprays in confined swirling air flows for lean direct injection combustion

A lean direct injection (LDI) combustion concept was introduced recently to obtain both low NO{dollar}sb{lcub}rm x{rcub}{dollar} emissions and high performance for advanced aircraft gas turbine engines. It was reported that pollutant emissions, especially NO{dollar}sb{lcub}rm x{rcub},{dollar} in a lean combustion mode depend significantly on the degree of mixing (mixedness) of supplied air and liquid fuel droplets. From a viewpoint of environmental protection, therefore, uniform mixing of fuel and air in a very short period of time, i.e., well-stirred mixing, is crucially important in the LDI combustion mode.; In the present study, as the first stage toward understanding the combustion phenomena in a lean direct injection (LDI) mode, the hydrodynamic behavior of liquid jets and pre-atomized sprays in confined swirling air flows is investigated. Laser-based flow visualization and image analysis techniques are applied to analyze the instantaneous motion of the mixing process of the jets and pre-atomized sprays. Statistical analysis system (SAS) software is utilized to analyze the experimental data, and correlate experimental parameters. Statistical parameters, such as centrality, degree of spread, and total area ratio of particles, are defined in this study, and used to quantify the mixedness (degree of mixing) of liquid particles in confined geometry.; Two empirical equations are obtained to predict jet intact lengths and spray angles, respectively, in confined swirling air flows. It is found that initial jet characteristics, such as intact length and spray angle, determine the mixing of the liquid particles resulting from the jet. It is verified that image analysis is feasible in quantitative determination of the mixedness of liquid particles. Even though substantial improvements in liquid fuel injector systems are required before they can be considered adequate for LDI combustion at high pressure and high temperature, the results and ideas obtained from the present study will help engineers find better mixing methods for LDI combustors.