FLOW PATTERNS IN INTERNAL-MIXING, TWIN-FLUID ATOMIZERS

The flow patterns that exist in internal-mixing, twin-fluid atomizers are examined in some detail, both in the mixing chamber upstream of the final discharge orifice and in the discharge orifice itself. The study is based on the classical two-phase flow patterns that have been reported in the literature for vertically downward and horizontal pipe flows. The effects on flow patterns, and on the transitions from one flow pattern to another, of variations in liquid properties, passage dimensions, and flow conditions are examined. The implications of these results to the design and performance of practical internal-mixing, gas/liquid atomizers are discussed.