Experimental study on the dynamics of binary fuel droplet impacts on a heated surface

Droplet impacting dynamics: Recent progress and future aspects

Droplet impact behaviours are widely applied in a variety of domains including self-cleaning, painting and coating, corrosion of turbine blades and aircraft, separation and oil repellency, anti-icing, heat transfer and droplet electricity generation, etc. The wetting behaviours and impact dynamics of droplets on solid and liquid surfaces involve complex solid-liquid and liquid-liquid interfacial interactions. The modulation of droplet dynamics by means of specific surface morphology and hydrophobic/hydrophilic patterns, which in turn can be derived to related applications, is one of the current promising interests in the interfacial effect modulating droplet dynamics. This review provides a detailed overview of several scientific aspects of droplet impact behaviours and heat transfer processes influenced by multiple factors. Firstly, the essential wetting theory and the fundamental parameters of impinging droplets are introduced. Secondly, the effects of different parameters on the dynamic behaviours and heat transfer of impinging droplet are discussed. Finally, the potential applications are listed. Existing concerns and challenges are summarized and future perspectives are provided to address poorly understood and conflicting issues.

Secondary Atomization of a Biodiesel Micro-Emulsion Fuel Droplet Colliding with a Heated Wall

Using high-speed video recording, we establish the following regimes of hydrodynamic interaction of a biodiesel micro-emulsion fuel droplet with a heated wall: deposition (including drop spreading and receding), drop hydrodynamic breakup, and rebound. Collision regime maps are plotted using a set of dimensionless criteria: Weber number We = 470–1260, Ohnesorge number Oh = 0.146–0.192, and Reynolds number Re = 25–198. The scenarios of droplet hydrodynamic disintegration are studied for transient and film boiling. We also estimate the disintegration characteristics of a biodiesel micro-emulsion droplet (mean diameter of child droplets, their number, and evaporation surface area increase due to breakup). The study establishes the effect of water proportion on the micro-emulsion composition (8–16 vol.%), heating temperature (300–500 °C), droplet size (1.8–2.8 mm), droplet velocity (3–4 m/s), rheological properties of the examined compositions, and emulsifier concentration (10.45 vol.% and 20 vol.%) on the recorded characteristics. The results show that the initial liquid surface area can be increased 2–19 times. The paper analyzes ways to control the process. The hydrodynamic disintegration characteristics of a biodiesel micro-emulsion fuel droplet are compared using 2D and 3D recording.

We -T classification of diesel fuel droplet impact regimes

A combined experimental and computational investigation of micrometric diesel droplets impacting on a heated aluminium substrate is presented. Dual view high-speed imaging has been employed to visualize the evolution of the impact process at various conditions. The parameters investigated include wall-surface temperature ranging from 140 to 400°C, impact Weber and Reynolds numbers of 19–490 and 141–827, respectively, and ambient pressure of 1 and 2 bar. Six possible post-impact regimes were identified, termed as Stick, Splash, Partial-Rebound, Rebound, Breakup-Rebound and Breakup-Stick , and plotted on the We-T map. Additionally, the temporal variation of the apparent dynamic contact angle and spreading factor have been determined as a function of the impact Weber number and surface temperature. Numerical simulations have also been performed using a two-phase flow model with interface capturing, phase-change and variable physical properties. Increased surface temperature resulted to increased maximum spreading diameter and induced quicker and stronger recoiling behaviour, mostly attributed to the change of liquid viscosity.

Experimental Study of Diesel-Fuel Droplet Impact on a Similarly Sized Polished Spherical Heated Solid Particle

The head-to-head impact of diesel-fuel droplets on a polished spherical brass target has been investigated experimentally. High-speed imaging was employed to visualize the impact process for wall surface temperatures and Weber and Reynolds numbers in the ranges of 140-340 °C, 30-850, and 210-1135, respectively. The thermohydrodynamic outcome regimes occurring for the aforementioned ranges of parameters were mapped on a We-T diagram. Seven clearly distinguishable postimpact outcome regimes were identified, which are conventionally called the coating, splash, rebound, breakup-rebound, splash-breakup-coating, breakup-coating, and splash-breakup-rebound regimes. In addition, the effects of the Weber number and surface temperature on the wettability dynamics were examined; the temporal variations of the dynamic contact angle, dimensionless spreading diameter, and liquid film thickness forming on the solid particle were measured and are reported.

Analytical consideration of liquid droplet impingement on solid surfaces

In industrial applications involving spray-cooling, combustion, and so on, prediction of the maximum spreading diameter of a droplet impinging on a solid surface permits a quantitative estimation of heat removal and energy consumption. However, although there are many experimental studies regarding droplet impingement behaviour, theoretical models have an applicability limit for predicting the maximum spreading diameter. In the present study, we have developed an analytical model for droplet impingement based on energy conservation that considers adhesion energy in both horizontal and vertical directions at the contact line. The theory is validated by our experiment and existing experimental data possessing a wide range of Weber numbers. We demonstrate that our model can predict β_m (i.e., the maximum spreading diameter normalised in terms of initial droplet diameter) for various Newtonian liquids ranging from micro- to millimetre-sized droplets on different solid surfaces and can determine the transition between capillary and viscous regimes. Furthermore, theoretical relations for scaling laws observed by many researchers are derived.

Temperature-induced coalescence of colliding binary droplets on superhydrophobic surface

This report investigates the impact of droplet temperature on the head-on collision of binary droplets on a superhydrophobic surface. Understanding droplet collision is critical to many fundamental processes and industrial applications. There are many factors, including collision speed, collision angle, and droplet composition, that influence the outcome of the collision between binary droplets. This work provides the first experimental study of the influence of droplet temperature on the collision of binary droplets. As the droplet temperature increases, the possibility increases for the two droplets to coalesce after collision. The findings in this study can be extended to collision of droplets under other conditions where control of the droplet temperature is feasible. Such findings will also be beneficial to applications that involve droplet collision, such as in ink-jet printing, steam turbines, engine ignition, and spraying cooling.