ON THE PRIMARY ATOMIZATION OF NON-NEWTONIAN IMPINGING JETS: VOLUME I EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

The effect of liquid rheology on the flowfield resulting from non-Newtonian impinging jets was investigated experimentally. Experimental data were acquired using a unique facility developed to examine the jet impingement of non-Newtonian liquids. Prior to jet impingement, the rheological properties of hydroxypropylcellulose, Kappa carrageenan, Agar, and several carboxymethylcellulose water-based mixtures were obtained. All investigated mixtures exhibited pseudoplastic behavior. Sheet breakup length and drop size were measured from high-speed video images at various nozzle geometric and flow parameters. Results indicate that viscosity, as a function of shear rate, is not the sole factor that determines atomization likelihood. Instead, a key role is played between the interaction of gelling agent and solvent at the molecular level.