SINOPSIS

The breakup of a suspension in the atomization process differs from that of a pure liquid by the influence of the suspended particles on the fragmentation kinetics. In the suspension spraying process, different types of atomizers are used but clogging problems can occur due to the suspension properties. Effervescent atomizers have shown to be a good alternative to the conventional atomizers to solve clogging issues when liquids with a large variety of viscosity and density such as suspensions are atomized. In this study, effervescent atomization of suspensions in a crossflow of air is investigated experimentally. The tests have been performed at different liquid-to-air momentum flux ratios and different gas-to-liquid mass ratios. Different types of suspended solid particles, hydrophilic and hydrophobic, at different concentrations are tested. Shadowgraphy and image processing have been employed in order to capture the penetration height of the spray. New correlations have been developed to predict the spray penetration height of suspensions in crossflow for nonaerated and aerated liquid jets.