Smart Atomization Revisited with Highly Coupled Pressure and Viscosity

Past efforts addressed the implementation of an automated dual control system within CFD which continuously adjusted the flow rates of both phases in a pulsating transonic twin-fluid heater/atomizer; the goal was to simultaneously maintain both constant atomizer pressure loss and consistent droplet size during non-Newtonian slurry viscosity excursions. In that case, the primary source of pressure loss was the cyclical interfacial slurry-steam instabilities. The process has been reframed, however, such that the simulated atomizer is much longer, rendering viscous frictional losses as the dominant source of pressure buildup. While controlled flow was maintained for this new case, controller limitations were revealed and explored. Also, contributions of the different sources of pressure loss for each phase were compared.