Modeling spray atomization by a hybrid Volume-of-Fluid Lagrangian-Eulerian approach

A hybrid Volume-of-Fluid Lagrangian-Eulerian (VoFLE) method for simulations of liquid jet atomization is presented. The solver is based on the combined use of the Volume-of-Fluid (VoF) method and the Lagrangian-Eulerian (LE) strategy. Compared with existing approaches, this work introduces a different way of implementing this hybrid method by considering the further hydrodynamic breakup of unstable unresolved elements. The calculation of breakup is based on a statistical model utilizing maximum entropy formalism conditional on mass, momentum, and energy conservation constraints. Three tests are implemented in this work. The first is a realistic Engine Combustion Network (ECN) Spray D configuration, which considers the needle, the nozzle, and the nozzle surface roughness effects. The second consists of the simplified ECN Spray A configuration where the needle and the nozzle surface roughness effects are ignored. The last test is associated with the breakup of a water jet injected from a canonical orifice under mild conditions, where the secondary breakup is absent.