Experimental study of electrical primary break-up of a thin sheet of dielectric liquid controlled by an electroHydrodynamic actuator

Abstract

This paper is an experimental study of the primary break-up induced by an ElectroHydroDynamic actuator. Experiments have been performed on thin sheet of commercial diesel oil without active surface agent. The flow rate and the liquid sheet thickness are similar to the ones used in turbo engines. In conventional injectors the disintegration of liquid sheets or liquid jets into required droplets is mainly controlled by a centrifugal force or a highpressure injection or a shear air flow or any other form of mechanical disturbance. In this article, the atomization is obtained by using only electrical forces. The liquid sheet produces by the injector is stable when the EHD actor is switched off. On the contrary it is fully atomized when the actuator is on. Investigations have been made with a high speed camera on the primary break-up modes and on the droplet formation mechanisms.