Experimental investigation of the atomization behavior of ethanol and kerosene in acoustic fields

•Small droplets easily followed the propaganda direction of the acoustic disturbance.•The main flow of the spray followed a trend toward the side without speaker.•The presence of the acoustic field affected more on the spray of ethanol than that of kerosene.•Smaller droplets are more sensitive to the pressure fluctuation. Working conditions of advanced aircraft engines are developing from conventional to ultra-conventional conditions, and it should enhance the basic research on the atomization and combustion of the aviation fuel. Combustion instability leads severe vibration to the engine combustion device and even the entire system, and it also causes significant damage to the system components. The fuel atomization and evaporation is the controlling process of combustion rate, and it is an important mechanism of the combustion instability. This paper is planned to experimentally measure the spatial fuel atomization characteristics in an environment of acoustic field by high-speed imaging. Using multi-threshold image processing to analyze the effect of the high frequency oscillation on the fuel break-up, mixing mechanism during each stage of the fuel atomization, to explore the physical description and thermodynamic control mechanism of fuel droplet atmospheric environment, to illustrate how the acoustic excitation influences atomization characteristics of the fuels under different conditions, so as to find a way for a controlled operation of such sprays or droplets.