Deep-frying in hot oil is a common cooking activity; however, dangerous kitchen fires often occur from accidental oil spattering. Moreover, the resulting spray can be source of indoor air pollution. The underlying mechanisms of the oil droplet ejection and the transport are not well understood in addition to the complex multiphase acoustics. In this preliminary study, we focus on the rapid ejection of these oil droplets following a bubble bursting at the oil surface. The initial formation of small droplets follows from a Rayleigh-Taylor instability for a water droplet immersed in hot oil (180-195 C) transitioning to a splash phase with spray dispersal. The droplet dynamics, as a function of stand-off distance, are visualized by high speed video (Photron, Fastcam SA-5) synchronized with a microphone (Earthworks, QTC 40). Characteristic acoustic signatures of the oil film expansion into a bag and subsequent atomization are quantified. Droplet spray velocities and size distributions are determined optically and compared with the spectral acoustic content. A long term objective is the development of an inexpensive acoustic detection system for preventing cooking fires and monitoring the indoor air quality in commercial and household kitchens.
Kiyama et al. (Wed,) studied this question.