Non-Equilibrium Condensation Effects on Droplet Growth and Condensation Shocks in Supersonic Nozzles with Water Droplet Injection

Abstract

Injecting liquid droplets into an ultrasonic nozzle presents a significant challenge due to the complex interplay between droplet growth and non-equilibrium condensation (NQC) processes. This study investigates the impact of inlet wetness on NQC within the nozzle. We observe significant alterations in the flow pattern and associated parameters by varying the inlet wetness (0.01, 0.02, and 0.03) and comparing the results with a dry inlet condition. Inlet wetness leads to elevated temperatures within the convergent section of the nozzle compared to the dry condition. Notably, condensation shock is exclusively observed in the divergent section for the dry inlet case. Furthermore, introducing liquid droplets at the inlet significantly influences droplet growth, effectively reducing the droplet radius. Compared to the dry case, the droplet radius at the nozzle outlet decreases by approximately 57.8% when the inlet wetness is set to 0.01. For other wetness values (0.02, 0.03), the droplet radius remains significantly lower than the dry case, demonstrating the effectiveness of droplet injection in controlling droplet growth within the supersonic nozzle.