3D Imaging of Evaporating Fuel Droplets by Stereoscopic PIV

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Palero, V. | Ikeda, Y.

Affiliations: Department of Applied Physics, University of Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna, 12, Zaragoza 50009, Spain. | Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.

Abstract: A gun-type burner is a widely used oil burner for industrial and domestic applications. The oil is pressure-atomized and mixed with air generating a recirculating, swirling flow. Because of the surrounding flame, fuel droplets evaporate, being difficult to obtain information on droplets' dynamics. Several laser techniques have been applied to this burner for spray diagnosis. PDA provides information about droplet size and velocity but can say little about the instantaneous spatial structures in the flow. Planar laser techniques as PIV can describe the 2D instantaneous spatial structures, but cannot provide information about the 3D structures in the flow. Then Stereoscopic PIV was applied. This technique allows us to measure the full 3D velocity vector map in a whole fluid plane. This paper has a double purpose. Firstly, to visualize the 3D structures which are present in the burner; secondly, to show that Stereoscopic PIV is an applicable technique for the diagnosis of an evaporating spray.

Keywords: Stereoscopic PIV, 3D PIV , spray combustion , droplet dynamics

Journal: Journal of Visualization, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 285-292, 2002