Our Research
Sprays are used in a variety of technology intensive industries from pharmaceutical to fire-protection applications. The ability to control the atomization process and the resulting spray characteristics is crucial to the success of these spray applications. Because of the complexity of the physical process associated with atomizing a continuous stream of fluid into a spray and the difficulty associated with characterizing atomization details, spray formation and its relationship to injection conditions is poorly understood. As a result, spray related development is inhibited by analytical concessions, which rely primarily on ‘cut and try’ and empirical approaches. These approaches focus on relating global spray characteristics to injection conditions with little consideration given to the atomization process. However, as computer based design tools become increasingly popular, detailed atomization models will be needed for computer-aided development, analysis, and evaluation of spray devices and systems. It is essential to precisely characterize engineered sprays in order to develop models to describe their behavior and to leverage this understanding for advancements in spray technology. Our current research focuses on atomization measurements and model development for fire suppression and fuel injection applications.
