Turbulent Sprays Evaporating Under “Stabilized Cool Flame” Conditions: Assessment of two CFD Approaches

Abstract

An “in-house” computational fluid dynamics code implementing a Euler-Lagrange approach is extended by incorporating the Euler-Euler (two-fluid model) approach, to improve prediction capabilities of flow and thermal characteristics of turbulent evaporating sprays. The performance of both approaches is assessed by comparing predictions with experimental data for a variety of evaporating-spray test cases. The applicability of the Euler-Lagrange and Euler-Euler approach is established in an isopropyl alcohol–air turbulent flow, in which characteristic droplet quantity predictions are in satisfactory overall agreement with measurements. The evaporating spray characteristics are then predicted under “stabilized cool flame” conditions and the computational results are compared to experimental data for a nonreactive case and a reactive case. In both cases, the velocity and thermal fields are successfully captured by both approaches. Overall, the article demonstrates an approach toward the development of performance-based computational tools.

The present study has been co-funded by the European Social Fund (75%) and National Resources (25%) (EPEAEK – IRAKLEITOS). The authors are grateful to Dr. Ing. K. Lucka and Dr. Ing. N. Steinbach (both at EST-RWTH Aachen, Germany) for providing the stabilized cool-flame-reactor experimental datasets.