Effect of ambient temperature on the puffing characteristics of single butanol-hexadecane droplet

Abstract Puffing characteristics of BUT50 (50% n-butanol and 50% n-hexadecane by mass) were investigated using the droplet suspension technology under 638, 688 and 738 K. Experimental results showed that BUT50 underwent transient heating, fluctuation evaporation and equilibrium evaporation phases under all ambient temperatures. In the fluctuation evaporation phase, the fluctuation frequency of 738 K was higher than that of 638 K. (D max /D 0 ) 2 of 738 K was lower than that of 638 K. Easy bubble rupture led to high fluctuation frequency and low (D max /D 0 ) 2  at 738 K. Three turning points were found in transient temperature growth rate at 638 and 738 K. Four characteristic droplet temperatures were analyzed, including droplet temperatures at the start (T 1 ) and end (T 2 ) of transient heating phase, at (D max /D 0 ) 2 (T 3 ) and at the end of total lifetime (T 4 ). T 2 was slightly lower and T 3 was slightly higher than the boiling point of n-butanol. T 4 was lower than the boiling point of n-hexadecane. Furthermore, the transient heating duration (t TH ), fluctuation evaporation duration (t FE ) and total lifetime (t TL ) decreased with increasing ambient temperature. The reduction of t FE played an important role in the decrease of t TL . The percentages of t TH /t TL and t FE /t TL were stable with increasing ambient temperature.