Characterisation of high-pressure diesel-water emulsion sprays

Abstract

Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Turkey, 19-21 July, 2010.

Combustion efficiency, emmissions and fuel economy in diesel engines are strongly dependent on the fuel spray characteristics such as spray penetration, atomization, droplet size distribution and cone angle. The quantitative information on the effect of fuel injection pressures on sprays characteristics is crucial for understanding the process of fuel mixture formation and the effects it may have on the combustion processes. This becomes even more important with the trend of using alternative fuels as a means of reducing emissions. This paper describes a study in a constant-volume vessel aimed at investigating the effect of injection pressure and water content in non-evaporating diesel-water emulsion sprays on droplet size and spray angle using Mie scattering and laser induced fluorescence measurement techniques.