Review on the Recent Numerical Studies of Liquid Atomization

Liquid atomization has wide applications in jet-type and reciprocating engines, powder generation, cooling towers, and atmosphere dust removal. Droplet size and distribution are the decisive factors in the performance of the above applications. The rapid development and usage of computer science brings huge differences in the research manner of liquid atomization and has shed great light on the micro-phenomena of the formation, deformation, and rupture of liquid ligaments. However, the numerical methods of liquid atomization still lack efficiency due to their huge cost of computer resources and their accuracy due to their dependence on empirical correlations. Before achieving reliable implementation in atomization device design, such computational models must undergo rigorous validation against experimentally measured data acquired through advanced diagnostic techniques. The present paper reviews the mainstream numerical methods of liquid atomization including interface capturing, particle tracking, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, etc. Their respective numerical kernels and some representative simulation cases are summarized. The aim of the present review is to provide a general idea and future research orientation on the capabilities of modern computer and numerical models in calculating atomization and designing relative devices and hopefully guide future research to strive efficiently and productively.