The effect of additional aeration of liquid on the atomization process for a pneumatic nebulizer

Abstract

At this paper the effect of aeration on the droplet size distribution of the aerosol have been analyzed. The atomization process was carried out using a pneumatic nebulizer which was equipped with a modified nebulizer cup. This modified nebulizer cup was combined with an additional source of gas bubbles. The measurements of the droplet sizes obtained by the use of the digital microphotography method and analyzed by Image-Pro Plus software. The analysis of the experimental studies proved that an increase in the flow rates of additional gas leads to the increase in the number of small droplets and the decrease of the number of drops of large diameter. Additionally, the mean droplet diameter decreases with the increase of the flow rate of aeration gas. A correlation equation was proposed, which describes the relationship between the mean diameter of droplet and the volumetric flow rate of additional gas. The increase in the bubble volume discharging through a single orifice causes the increase of the flow rate of aeration gas. The modifications of construction of atomizer lead to the better effectiveness of nebulization.

Keywords: Aeration; Atomization; Drop size histogram; Mean droplet diameter; Pneumatic nebulizer.