Energy considerations in spraying process of a spill-return pressure-swirl atomizer

The work focuses on energy conversion during the internal flow, discharge and formation of the spray from a pressure-swirl (PS) atomizer in the simplex as well as spill-return mode. Individual energy forms are described in general and assessed experimentally for a particular PS atomizer and light heating oil as a medium. The PS spray was observed at various loads to investigate the liquid breakup process and the spray characteristics. Spatially resolved diameters and droplet velocities, measured by means of phase-Doppler anemometry, served for estimation of the energy characteristics in the PS spray.