Experimental determination of water droplet “strain cycles” characteristic in the gas area

National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia

^a Corresponding author: pavelspa@tpu.ru

Published online: 20 January 2015

Abstract

Experimental investigation of deformation regularities of widely used in industry liquid (water, kerosene, ethanol) droplets during the motion through the gas area under the action of gravitational forces has been conducted. Droplet characteristic sizes were varied in the range from 3 mm to 6 mm. Droplet motion velocities were come up to 5 m/s. Cross-correlation video recording system with optical methods of droplet size and velocity measurement was used. More than 10 characteristic droplets “strain cycles” have been established during they pass the distances up to 1 m through the gas area. The characteristic droplet forms, times, extents and amplitudes have been determined for each “strain cycle”. The expression has been formulated which describes the characteristic “strain cycles” time dependencies on droplet velocities and sizes, also on the fundamental properties (viscosity, density, surface tension) of liquid and gas area in a first approximation. The conditions of droplet deformation intensification and this process in industry gas-vapor-droplet setups stabilization have been determined.