Effects of turbulent mixing on spray ignition in spray system

When a column of droplets freely falling from an ultrasonic atomizer was ignited behind a reflected shock, no ignition occurred at a temperature below 1100 K, even if the pressure was as high as IMPa. Although, a higher temperature condition ensured ignition, no luminous flame was observable by high-speed photography, and even if a luminous flame lump appeared at an extremely high temperature, it disappeared without spreading over the entire column of droplets in this case. It is known however that, if a fuel is injected into a diesel cylinder or an electric furnace, ignition occurs even at a temperature as low as 650 K with a luminous flame spreading over the entire spray. These differences could be caused by the effects of turbulent mixing between fuel droplets and hot air, in fact, turbulence-generating rods were placed on the upstream side of the spray column. Experimental results indicates that the ignition limit was lowered to 840 K, and the ignition delay period was decreased by increasing the intensity of turbulence. Furthermore, the light emission of the flame was intensified, and normal spray combustion was maintained in the low-temperature atmosphere after the shock tube ceased its operation.