Electrostatic Atomization for Industrial Spray Combustion

The proposed electrostatic atomization process has been successfully applied within the diesel injection and paint spray industries to generate a priori specifiable droplet-size distributions with near uniform droplet dispersivity. Energetically efficient droplet development with electronically controlled uniform mean droplet sizes between 10 and 100 um range have been demonstrated, with range extension from 1 to 500 um possible. During Phase I this technology will be applied within the industrial spray combustion environment to demonstrate: 1) high temperature operation, 2) high-velocity (up to 30 m/s) with improved mixing, 3) steady state operation between 1-2 gal/hr and 4) dynamic tunability with a turndown ratio exceeding 5.0. The team of CFD Research Corporation, Charged Injection Corporation and BFGoodrich Aerospace offers the experience and facilities to meet or exceed all Phase I feasibility demonstration objectives. During Phase II the proposed technology will be refined and demonstrated in a deliverable combustion system assembly designed for both laboratory and industrial scale experimentation. This work will include a productionization assessment of the technology for implementation into the industrial spray combustion system operating environments.