Zerstäuben von Flüssigkeiten

Atomizing of liquids. Atomizing of liquids, i.e. the formation of droplets in a continuous gas phase or in vacuum, is accomplished in most cases by atomizer nozzles. Single substance pressure nozzles and pneumatic atomizers or air blast atomizers are alternative devices for that purpose. The physical facts of the partition process of the liquid and two phase flow conditions are now better known thanks to recent investigations. This permits estimation of the effect of the most important parameters on the median drop size by equations of physically based dimensionless groups. The different methods referred to in the literature for determining drop sizes lead to different results and therefore still represent a problem. Nevertheless, an attempt is made to give simplified and physically sound equations for estimating droplet size for the most important kinds of atomizers. They provide the user with an overview of the principal influencing factors and should facilitate choice of a suitable atomizer. Besides the frequently applied methods for drop and spray formation, other processes are also described which are used in special cases.