Numerical Modelling of Internal Flow in Water Mist Injectors: Effect of Nozzle Geometry and Operating Conditions

Water mist fire fighting has achieved a well established position in fire protection for industrial and civil applications. The performances of water mist nozzles, largely used in water mist production, are deeply influenced by the internal nozzle flow characteristics and CFD modelling is a powerful tool to analyse them in details. The paper focuses on the numerical investigation of the internal flow in pressure swirl injectors for water mist applications. 3D large eddy simulations based on the Volume-Of-Fluid methodology have been implemented. The flow is assumed to be incompressible and under isothermal non-reacting conditions. Validation of the model against available experimental data is performed with satisfactory results. The effect of internal nozzle geometry on the injector behaviour is investigated by modifying the inclined swirling channels (five configurations) and the injection pressure in the range 5 to 320 bar. The effect of the size of cylindrical and conical swirl chambers are also independently investigated. Three different flow regimes can be distinguished as a function of imposed swirl and injection pressure and a map is reported to clarify the effect of these parameters. When a stable hollow cone spray is formed the mass flow rate fluctuations are < 5%, corresponding to a discharge coefficient between 0.34 and 0.50. When no air core is present in the discharge hole, mass flow rate fluctuations as high as 16% are observed, which correspond to discharge coefficient as high as 0.7. A detailed quantification of in-nozzle characteristics, like swirl number and momentum flux distribution along the nozzle and lamella thickness in the discharge hole, is reported and discussed, with particular emphasis on stability and transient behaviour of the atomiser internal flow, which represents the main novelty of the present study.