Influence of the Spray Swirl Flow on the Gas–Liquid Interfacial Area Morphology: Multiparametric Qualitative Analysis

In this study, the authors carried out a multiparametric assessment of the influence of swirl patterns during aerosol flow on the shape of the interfacial area that forms the cone based on data obtained from experimental measurements using the PIV and LLS methods. The results were correlated with the disinfection process occurring in the near and far fields of the aerosol (direct surface disinfection and volume fogging). In this study, parameters such as turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), swirl strength (SS), pressure fields, and Sauter mean diameter (d32) are used to investigate the relationship between aerosol spray morphology and flow dynamics under different operating conditions. Three different geometrical settings of the aerosol-generating system and two different pressures corresponding to the air supply to the spray nozzle have been adopted. By evaluating the results obtained, the influence of each parameter on the formation of the aerosol displacement trajectory, the stabilization of the spray cone, and its degradation was identified. The shape of the boundary between the dynamically moving aerosol and the surrounding air was also evaluated. The conditions for swirling and straight-line flows within the aerosol cone, and, thus, the conditions for the volumetric development of swirling phenomena, were further clarified.