Detailed Numerical Simulations of Primary Atomization of Liquid Jets in Crossflow

The problem of primary breakup of liquid jet in crossflow (LJCF) is investigated by means of detailed numerical simulations. A spectrally refined interface tracking technique, which is coupled to a Navier-Stokes/Ghost fluid solver, is employed to track the liquid-gas interface. From the parametric space corresponding to the LJCF, the effect of varying momentum flux ratio, liquid Weber number, and crossflow Weber number on the liquid jet trajectory and the liquid surface wavelengths on the windward side of the liquid jet is investigated. Predicted liquid jet trajectories show good match with published experimental datasets. The numerical simulations predict that the wavelength of the liquid surface disturbances scale with the liquid Weber number rather than the crossflow Weber number for the conditions studied in this work. The numerical simulations also provide preliminary evidence that for the conditions chosen in this study, the smallest liquid length scales are controlled by the liquid Weber number rather than the crossflow Weber number.