Effects of low temperature on near-nozzle breakup and droplet size distribution in airblast kerosene spray

Atomization of low-temperature fuel is encountered in extreme operating conditions of liquid propulsion systems such as cold start and high-altitude relight for aeroengines. Fuel temperature has a great impact on airblast spray characteristics by influencing fuel viscosity and thus the gas–liquid interaction, which raises the demand to clarify the temperature-dependent transition in near-nozzle breakup behavior and the corresponding droplet size distribution. A liquid-centered swirl coaxial injector is tested on the low-temperature swirl spray and combustion test rig at Zhejiang University, using 25 kHz high-speed digital off-axis holography. RP-3 aviation kerosene is atomized under ignition conditions at temperatures of 233, 253, and 301 K, fuel pressures of 0.03 and 0.69 MPa, and air pressure ranging from 0 to 4.0 kPa. Time-resolved near-nozzle dynamics suggest four types of elementary breakup processes: wavy-sheet breakup, pulsating breakup, membrane-type breakup, and nonaxisymmetric Rayleigh breakup. Each process alternately dominates the near field as fuel Reynolds number ( Ref) and aerodynamic Weber number ( Weg) decrease, corresponding to four primary breakup modes. A mode classification plot is summarized. Spray structures show an extended breakup length and reduced spray cone angle as fuel temperature ( Tf) decreases. Increasing air pressure ( Pg) promotes spray expansion at 0.03 MPa, but contracts spray cone at 0.69 MPa. Cross-sectional Sauter mean diameter (SMD) distribution indicates a solid-cone spray at 0.03 MPa and a hollow cone spray at 0.69 MPa. Lowering Tf will rise the SMD in the spray center at 0.03 MPa and transform the toroidal SMD distribution at 0.69 MPa into a solid one. Finally, a temperature-related SMD model is derived considering the exponential viscosity–temperature relationship, and a good fit with R2 > 0.95 is achieved. This research aims to deepen the understanding of the effects of low temperature on the transition of near-nozzle atomization characteristics for airblast sprays. Both spray visualization and SMD results provide reference for numerical simulations and near-nozzle spray modeling.