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Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on Rapid Evaporation of Ethanol Droplets and Kerosene Droplets During Depressurization

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Abstract

This paper reports an experimental and theoretical study of rapid evaporation of ethanol droplets and kerosene droplets during depressurization. For experimental method, an ethanol droplet or a kerosene droplet was suspended on a thermocouple, which was also used to measure the droplet center temperature transition. And the droplet shape variation was recorded by a high speed camera. A theoretical analysis was developed based on the heat balance to estimate the droplet center temperature transition, and the evaporation model proposed by Abramzon and Sirignano was used to describe the droplet vaporization. According to the experimental data and theoretical analysis, both of the environmental pressure and the initial droplet diameter have a prominent influence on the droplet temperature transition. Comparing the evaporation processes of ethanol droplets and kerosene droplets with water droplets, the ethanol droplets have the fastest evaporation rate, followed by water, and the evaporation rates of kerosene droplets are the slowest. Also it was found that a bubble can easily emerge within kerosene droplet, and its lifetime is more than 1 s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Liu, Qin-cheng Bi, Wei-min Liu, Fang-cheng Qi & Xin-gang Bi

  2. Department of Power Engineering, North China Electric Power University, 071003, Baoding, Hebei, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Liu

Authors
  1. Lu Liu
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  2. Qin-cheng Bi
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  3. Wei-min Liu
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  4. Fang-cheng Qi
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  5. Xin-gang Bi
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Correspondence to Qin-cheng Bi.

Additional information

Proceeding of the fifth International Topical Team Workshop on TWO-PHASE SYSTEMS FOR GROUND AND SPACE APPLICATIONS.

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Liu, L., Bi, Qc., Liu, Wm. et al. Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on Rapid Evaporation of Ethanol Droplets and Kerosene Droplets During Depressurization. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 23, 89–97 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-010-9239-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-010-9239-0

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