Thermo-Fluid Dynamic Behavior of Water Droplets Injected Into Air Stream

Behavior of water droplets in air is of interest in many engineering applications. In evaporative cooling, the evaporation of liquid droplets sprayed into air streams in measured quantities cools the air. In the current study, experiments and numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of water droplets of different diameters in long air ducts. Droplet size measurements at different locations were obtained with global sizing velocimetry technique. Effect of initial droplet size on temperature and relative humidity distribution of air stream in the duct is investigated. Droplet spray patterns are also analyzed to identify suitable locations for spray nozzles within the duct. Cooling effectiveness is calculated for different conditions. Experiments were conducted to validate the numerical results. Results obtained provide a clear understanding of the thermo-fluid dynamic behavior of water droplets within the duct.