Performance of elliptical nozzles on the spray dynamics of convergent and constant section nozzles by means of a Σ-Y coupled model

•A Sigma-Y spray model has been applied to the study of elliptical nozzles.•The model has been validated using circular nozzles for the internal flow and spray.•The model has been applied to a convergent and a constant section elliptical nozzle.•Constant section nozzle shows important differences due to vapor generation.•Results show that cavitation in elliptical nozzles seems to improve the mixture. In this paper, a computational study on the differences between a convergent and a constant section elliptical nozzle is performed. Coupled internal-external flow simulations were carried out by means of a Σ-Y model experimentally validated. The differences reported in terms of internal flow and spray parameters present the cavitation as an important effect in the elliptical nozzle geometries. The conclusions suggest a mixture improvement potential for the cavitating elliptical nozzles.