An experimental study of the flow of thin liquid sheets in hot atmospheres

Abstract

A study has been made of the flow and disintegration of thin liquid sheets in combustion gases up to temperatures of 950°C. It is found that below 300°C sheet breakdown occurs through the growth of antisymmetric Kelvin–Helmholtz waves. Above this temperature high frequency symmetric waves and localized disturbances are superimposed on the sheet and disintegration then occurs by the combined action of aerodynamic waves and perforations, the contribution of the latter predominating with increasing temperature. It is demonstrated that the new wave system is electrohydrodynamic in origin, the electric field being generated by the charged species present in the gas. The drop size is found to be critically dependent upon the nature of the disintegration process.