An Experimental Study of the Effects of Liquid Properties on the Breakup of a Two-Dimensional Liquid Sheet

The breakup of a liquid sheet is of fundamental interest in the atomization of liquid fuels. The present study explores the breakup of a two-dimensional liquid sheet in the presence of co-flow air with emphasis on the extent to which liquid properties affect breakup. Three liquids, selected with varying values of viscosity and surface tension, are introduced through a twin-fluid, two-dimensional nozzle. A pulsed laser imaging system is used to determine the sheet structure at breakup, the distance and time to breakup, and the character of the ligaments and droplets formed. Experiments are conducted at two liquid flow rates with five flow rates of co-flowing air. Liquid properties affect the residence time required to initiate sheet breakup, and alter the time and length scales in the breakup mechanism.