Influence of atomizer design features on mean drop size

Measurements of mean drop size, using the light-scattering technique, were carried out on eight different airblast atomizers. The liquids employed were water and kerosine. The test range included wide variations in atomizing air velocity, air pressure, and liquid and air flow rates, but the main objective was to examine the influence of scale and various design features on atomization performance. The results obtained show, for all types of airblast atomizer, that atomization quality is improved by increase in ambient air pressure, decrease in atomizer size, and by minimizing the angle of impact between the fuel jet and the high-Velocity air stream.