Numerical Analysis of Diverging Liquid Sheets Through Curvature Distributions

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of surface curvature analysis as a tool for characterizing the primary breakup of diverging liquid sheets. Leveraging a series of numerical simulations that vary the Weber number, opening angle, and mesh resolution, the research explores the capability of statistical metrics, namely, the Sauter mean diameter (SMD), surface curvature distribution (SCD), and equivalent drop size distribution (DSD), to describe the spray's morphological evolution. The results confirm a globally decreasing trend of SMD with increasing Weber number, consistent with the established literature. However, the SMD is found to be insufficient for capturing dynamic, small-scale morphological changes, such as the growth of the rim at a low Weber number. In contrast, the SCD and DSD demonstrate a promising ability to describe both small-scale and large-scale structural changes and predict spray characteristics from early-stage interfacial disturbances on the liquid sheet. The analysis further reveals that while the Weber number governs the global atomization process, the opening angle and mesh resolution also play a critical role in the resulting curvature and drop size distributions. This work establishes surface curvature analysis as a potential candidate for early-stage spray prediction, while also identifying its current limitations and highlighting the need for higher-fidelity simulations and more precise metrics for future investigation.