EFFECTIVE ATOMIZATION OF LIQUID AND SLURRY FUELS UNDER VARIABLE LOAD CONDITIONS

IT IS PROPOSED THAT A MULTI-ELEMENT FUEL NOZZLE FOR ATOMIZATION OF LIQUID AND SLURRY FUELS BE DESIGNED. THE IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE PROPOSED NOZZLE ARE: (1)EFFECTIVE ATOMIZATION OF THE FUEL BY GENERATION OF MONODISPERSE DROPLET THROUGH EACH ELEMENT: (2) DIRECT CONTROL OVER THE DROP SIZE THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC DRIVER SYSTEM; AND (3) DIRECT CONTROL OVER THE FLOW RATE WITHOUT AFFECTING THE DROP SIZE DISTRIBUTION. THE FUEL NOZZLE CONSISTS OF A NUMBER OF SINGLE-ELEMENT MONODISPERSE DROPLET GENERATORS. SDL'S EXPLORATORY RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT SUCH INJECTORS CAN BE USED WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF LIQUIDS, AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY RELIABLE AND REPEATABLE. IN PHASE I OF THE PROPOSED PROGRAM, THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL MERIT AND THE FEASIBILITY OF THE DESIGN PROPOSED PROGRAM, THE DESIGN WILL BE DETERMINED. A PROTOTYPE GENERATOR CONSISTINGOF TEN (10) ELEMENTS WILL BE DESIGNED, FABRICATED AND CHARACTERIZED. THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NOZZLE AT VARIOUS OPERATING CONDITIONS OF THE PRESSURE, FLOW RATE, FLUID VISCOSITY AND MATERIAL WILL BE OBTAINED. HIGH RESOLUTION HOLOGRAPHY WILL BE USED TO CHARACTERIZE THE DROP SIZE DISTRIBUTION, MEAN DROP SEPARATION AND POPULATION DENSITY. FINALLY, THE APPLICATION OF THE NOZZLE FOR ATOMIZATION OF SLURRY FUEL WILL BE INVESTIGATED. AN EXISTING SINGLE-ELEMENT DROPLET GENERTOR WILL BE USED. PROBLEMS SUCH AS THE DROP SIZE UNIFORMITY, BLOCKAGE AND NOZZLE WEAR WILL BE STUDIED.