Air Density Effect on the Atomization of Liquid Jets in Crossflow

An experimental study of liquid injection in a transverse airflow at high pressure and temperature was performed. Collected shadow- graphs were processed by image statistical analysis tools. The break- down point location was correlated to liquid-to-gas momentum ratio, gas Reynolds number and aerodynamic Weber number. The substantial uniformity of behavior of the normalized jet trajectories allowed providing an empirical correlation validated in a range of operating conditions of interest for LPP gas turbines. Liquid disper- sion in the gas phase, atomization and evaporation were qualitatively investigated by means of statistical parameters related to the beha- vior of the spray plume. For liquid spraying and spreading, the rel- evance of the interaction between aerodynamic and capillary pressure was underscored, whereas in the range of operating con- ditions studied, both experimental evidence and theoretical esti- mation indicate that even at 600 K temperature the evaporation of water drops is not significant within 100 diameters downstream the injection point.