Close-coupled nozzle atomization integral simulation and powder preparation using vacuum induction gas atomization technology

We simulate the gas-atomization process of a close-coupled annular nozzle for vacuum induction gas atomization at a three-dimensional scale.Moreover,the relationship between the simulated droplet type and experimentally metallic powder is established by comparing the morphology of droplets with powders.Herein,the primary atomization process is described by the volume-of-fluid(VOF)approach,whereas the prediction of powder diameter after secondary atomization is realized by the VOF-Lagrangian method.In addition,to completely reflect the breaking and deformation process of the metallic flow,we employ the VOF model to simulate the secondary atomization process of a single ellipsoidal droplet.The results show that the primary atomization process includes the formation of surface liquid film,appearance of serrated ligaments,and shredding of ligaments.Further,gas recirculation zone plays an important role in formation of the umbrella-shaped liquid film.The secondary atomization process is divided into droplet convergence and dispersion stages,and the predicted powder diameter is basically consistent with the experiment.In general,the four main powder shapes are formed by the interaction of five different typical droplets.

Process modeling gas atomization of close-coupled ring-hole nozzle for 316L stainless steel powder production

The paper aims at modeling and simulating the atomization process of the close-coupled ring-hole nozzle in vacuum induction gas atomization(VIGA)for metallic powder production.First of all,the primary atomization of the ring-hole nozzle is simulated by the volume of fluid(VOF)coupled large eddy simulation(LES)model.To simulate the secondary atomization process,we use the method of selecting the droplet sub-model and the VOF model.The results show that the ring-hole nozzle forms a gas recirculation zone at the bottom of the delivery tube,which is the main reason for the formation of an annular liquid film during the primary atomization.In addition,the primary atomization process of the ring-hole nozzle consists of three stages:the formation of the serrated liquid film tip,the appearance and shedding of the ligaments,and the fragmentation of ligaments.At the same time,the primary atomization mainly forms spherical droplets and long droplets,but only the long droplets can be reserved and proceed to the secondary atomization.Moreover,increasing the number of ring holes from 18 to 30,the mass median diameter(MMD,d_(50))of the primary atomized droplets decreases first and then increases,which is mainly due to the change of the thickness of the melt film.Moreover,the secondary atomization of the ring-hole nozzles is mainly in bag breakup mode and multimode breakup model,and bag breakup will result in the formation of hollow powder,which can be avoided by increasing the gas velocity.

Effects of Gas Flow Field on Clogging Phenomenon in Close-Coupled Vortical Loop Slit Gas Atomization

In order to study the basic characteristics of gas flow field in the atomizing chamber near the nozzle outlet of the vortical loop slit atomizer and its influence mechanism on clogging phenomenon,the computational fluid dynamics(CFD)software Fluent is used to conduct a numerical simulation of the gas flow field in the atomizing chamber near the nozzle outlet of this atomizer under different annular slit widths,different atomization gas pressures and different protrusion lengths of the melt delivery tube. The results show that under atomization gas pressure p=4.5 MPa,the greater the annular slit width D,the lower the static temperature near the central hole outlet at the front end of the melt delivery tube,and the smaller the aspirating pressure at the front end of the melt delivery tube. These features can effectively prevent the occurrence of the clogging phenomenon of metallic melt. Under an annular slit width of D=1.2 mm,when the atomization gas pressure satisfies 1 MPa ≤ p ≤ 2 MPa and increases gradually,the aspirating pressure at the front end of the melt delivery tube will decline rapidly. This can prevent the clogging phenomenon of metallic melt. However,when the atomization gas pressure p >2 MPa,the greater the atomization gas pressure,the lower the static temperature near the central hole outlet at the front end of the melt delivery tube,and the greater the aspirating pressure at the front end of the melt delivery tube. Hence,the effect of preventing the solidification-induced clogging phenomenon of metallic melt is restricted. When atomization gas pressure is p =4.5 MPa and annular slit width is D=1.2 mm,the greater the protrusion length H of the melt delivery tube,and the smaller the aspirating pressure at its front end. The static temperature near the central hole that can be observed in its front end is approximate to effectively prevent the occurrence of clogging phenomenon of metallic melt. However,because of the small aspirating pressure,the metallic melt flows into the atomizing chamber from the central hole at the front end of the melt delivery tube at an increasing speed and the gas-melt ratio in the mass flow rate is reduced,which is not conducive to the improvement of atomization performance.

Melt metal sheet breaking mechanism of close-coupled gas atomization

The gas atomization is the process that a liquid mass is disintegrated into a collection of liquid melt droplets by the impact of high velocity gas stream and solidified into metal particles. However, the liquid melt sheet breaking mechanism has not been fully understood. So the experimental research was carried out under the condition of lower melt superheat. The results reveal that there are three approaches about melt metal sheet’s breakage: from the edges of sheets, from inner surface of sheets, and disrupted by other droplets and sheets. The approach of melt sheet breakage is dependent on its thickness. The thicker sheets (above 25μm) are disintegrated mainly by the way of droplet’s departing from edges, and the thinner sheets (below 10μm) are chiefly breaking from the inner surface.

Influence of melt superheat on breakup process of close-coupled gas atomization

In close-coupled gas atomization(CCGA), the influences of melt superheat on breakup process are fundamental to obtain desired or finer powder. Based on a series of Cu atomization experiment under different superheating conditions, the influences of melt superheat on breakup process were studied. Experimental results indicate that as the melt superheat is increased to 150, 200, 250 and 300 K, the mean particle size (D50) decreases consequently to 34.9, 32.3, 30.9 and 19.7 μm. Theoretical analysis reveals that the primary breakup and secondary breakup processes are close coupled, and the melt superheat radically influences the melt properties, and plays a crucial role on governing the filming process of primary breakup and the atomization modes of secondary breakup. There exists a strong nonlinear decrease of contact angle of melt to nozzle orifice wall when the superheat is increased from 250 K to 300 K, leading to a marked fall of the film thickness formed in primary breakup, and D50 of copper powders is therefore sharply reduced. However, the log-normal distribution feature of particle size has not been substantially improved.

A simple atomization approach enables monolayer dispersion of nano graphenes in cementitious composites with excellent strength gains

Carbon nano additives(CNAs)are critical to achieving the unique properties of functionalized composites,however,controlling the dispersion of CNAs in material matrix is always a challenging task.In this study,a simple atomization approach was successfully developed to promote the dispersion efficiency of graphene nanoplatelets(GNPs)in cement composites.This atomization approach can be integrated with the direct,indirect and combined ultrasonic stirrings in a homemade automatic stirring-atomization device.Mechanical and microstructure tests were performed on hardened cement pastes blended with GNPs in different stirring and mixing approaches.Results show that the direct ultrasonic stirrings enabled more homogeneous dispersions of GNP particles with a smaller size for a longer duration.The atomized droplets with the mean size of~100μm largely mitigated GNPs’agglomerations.Monolayer GNPs were observed in the cement matrix with the strength gain by up to 54%,and the total porosity decrease by 21%in 0.3 wt%GNPs dosage.The greatly enhanced dispersion efficiency of GNPs in cement also raised the cement hydration.This work provides an effective and manpower saving technique toward dispersing CNAs in engineering materials with great industrialization prospects.

Research Progress of Atomizers and Drugs Used in Atomization Therapy

At present,the commonly used treatment methods for chronic respiratory diseases are drug,oxygen,interventional and atomization therapy.Atomization therapy is the most widely used because of its characteristics of fast effect,high local drug concentration,less drug dosage,convenient application and few systemic adverse reactions.In this paper,the mechanism,characteristics,commonly used drugs and clinical application of atomization therapy are discussed.

Coordination of distinctive pesticide adjuvants and atomization nozzles on droplet spectrum evolution for spatial drift reduction

Pesticide adjuvants,as crop protection products,have been widely used to reduce drift loss and improve utilization efficiency by regulating droplet spectrum.However,the coordinated regulation mechanisms of adjuvants and nozzles on droplet spectrum remain unclear.Here,we established the relationship between droplet spectrum evolution and liquid atomization by investigating the typical characteristics of droplet diameter distribution near the nozzle.Based on this,the regulation mechanisms of distinctive pesticide adjuvants on droplet spectrum were clarified,and the corresponding drift reduction performances were quantitively evaluated by wind tunnel experiments.It shows that the droplet diameter firstly shifts to the smaller due to the liquid sheet breakup and then prefers to increase caused by droplet interactions.Reducing the surface tension of sprayed liquid facilitates the uniform liquid breakup and increasing the viscosity inhibits the liquid deformation,which prolong the atomization process and effectively improve the droplet spectrum.As a result,the drift losses of flat-fan and hollow cone nozzles are reduced by about 50%after adding organosilicon and vegetable oil adjuvants.By contrast,the air induction nozzle shows a superior anti-drift ability,regardless of distinctive adjuvants.Our findings provide insights into rational adjuvant design and nozzle selection in the field application.

Investigations on High-Speed Flash Boiling Atomization of Fuel Based on Numerical Simulations

Flash boiling atomization(FBA)is a promising approach for enhancing spray atomization,which can generate a fine and more evenly distributed spray by increasing the fuel injection temperature or reducing the ambient pressure.However,when the outlet speed of the nozzle exceeds 400 m/s,investigating high-speed flash boiling atomization(HFBA)becomes quite challenging.This difficulty arises fromthe involvement ofmany complex physical processes and the requirement for a very fine mesh in numerical simulations.In this study,an HFBA model for gasoline direct injection(GDI)is established.This model incorporates primary and secondary atomization,as well as vaporization and boilingmodels,to describe the development process of the flash boiling spray.Compared to lowspeed FBA,these physical processes significantly impact HFBA.In this model,the Eulerian description is utilized for modeling the gas,and the Lagrangian description is applied to model the droplets,which effectively captures the movement of the droplets and avoids excessive mesh in the Eulerian coordinates.Under various conditions,numerical solutions of the Sauter mean diameter(SMD)for GDI show good agreement with experimental data,validating the proposed model’s performance.Simulations based on this HFBA model investigate the influences of fuel injection temperature and ambient pressure on the atomization process.Numerical analyses of the velocity field,temperature field,vapor mass fraction distribution,particle size distribution,and spray penetration length under different superheat degrees reveal that high injection temperature or low ambient pressure significantly affects the formation of small and dispersed droplet distribution.This effect is conducive to the refinement of spray particles and enhances atomization.

Application of pre-alloyed powders for diamond tools by ultrahigh pressure water atomization

Copper, iron and cobalt based pre-alloyed powders for diamond tools were prepared by ultrahigh pressure water atomization（UPWA） process. Pre-alloyed powders prepared by different processes including UPWA, conventional water atomization （CWA） and elemental metal mechanical mixing （EMMM） were sintered to segments and then compared in mechanical properties, holding force between matrix and diamond, fracture morphology of blank and sintering diamond section containing matrix. The results showed that the pre-alloyed powder prepared by UPWA exhibits the best mechanical properties including the relative density, the hardness and the bending strength of matrix sinteredsegment. Sintered segments fractography of UPWA pre-alloyed powder indicatesmechanical mosaic strength and chemical bonding force between the pre-alloyed powder and the diamond, leading to the great increase in the holding force between matrix and diamond. The mechanical performance andthe service life of diamond tools were greatly improved by UPWA pre-alloyed powders.

Criterion of gas and solid dual-phase flow atomization crash in molten metal

A self-invented atomization process, in which molten metal is atomized into powder by a high-velocity gas stream carrying solid particles as the atomization medium, was introduced. The characteristics of powders prepared by common gas atomization and dual-phase flow atomization under similar conditions were compared. The experimental results show that the dual-phase flow-atomized powders have average particle sizes that are one-half that of the common gas-atomized particles;additionally, they possess a finer microstructure and higher cooling rate under the same atomization gas pressure and the same gas flow. The Weber number in the crash criteria of liquid atomization is adopted to measure the crash ability of the atomization media. The Weber number of the dual-phase flow atomization medium is the sum of that of the gas and the solid particles. Furthermore, the critical equation of the crash model in dual-phase flow atomization is established, and the main regularities associated with this process were analyzed.

AgNi15 composite particles prepared by ultrasonic arc spray atomization method

Ultrasonic arc spray atomization (UASA) method was used to prepare high-melting-point, immiscible AgNi15 (mass fraction, %) composite particles. Sieving was used to determine the size distribution of the AgNi15 particles. The morphology, rapidly solidified structure and metastable solution expansion of the AgNi15 particles were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results show that the AgNi15 composite particles are spherical and well-dispersed, and the mass fractions of the particles with diameters <74μm and <55 μm are 99.5% and 98%, respectively. The rapidly solidified structure of the AgNi15 particles consists of spherical nickel-richβ(Ni)-phase particles dispersed throughout a silver-richα(Ag)-phase matrix andα(Ag)-phase nanoparticles dispersed throughout largerβ(Ni)-phase particles. The silver and nickel in the AgNi15 particles form a reciprocally extended metastable solution, and the solid solubility of nickel in the silver matrix at room temperature is in the range of 0.16%?0.36% (mole fraction).

Design and evaluation of a Laval-type supersonic atomizer for low-pressure gas atomization of molten metals

A Laval-type supersonic gas atomizer was designed for low-pressure gas atomization of molten metals. The principal design ob-jectives were to produce small-particle uniform powders at lower operating pressures by improving the gas inlet and outlet structures and op-timizing structural parameters. A computational fluid flow model was developed to study the flow field characteristics of the designed atom-izer. Simulation results show that the maximum gas velocity in the atomization zone can reach 440 m＆#183;s-1;this value is independent of the atomization gas pressure P0 when P0〉0.7 MPa. When P0=1.1 MPa, the aspiration pressure at the tip of the delivery tube reaches a mini-mum, indicating that the atomizer can attain the best atomization efficiency at a relatively low atomization pressure. In addition, atomization experiments with pure tin at P0=1.0 MPa and with 7055Al alloy at P0=0.8 and 0.4 MPa were conducted to evaluate the atomization capa-bility of the designed atomizer. Nearly spherical powders were obtained with the mass median diameters of 28.6, 43.4, and 63.5μm, respec-tively. Compared with commonly used atomizers, the designed Laval-type atomizer has a better low-pressure gas atomization capability.

Microscopic and macroscopic atomization characteristics of a pressure-swirl atomizer, injecting a viscous fuel oil

Combustion of heavy fuels is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases, particulate emissions, ashes, NOxand SOx. Gasification is an advanced and environmentally friendly process that generates combustible and clean gas products such as hydrogen. Some entrained flow gasifiers operate with Heavy Fuel Oil(HFO) feedstock. In this application, HFO atomization is very important in determining the performance and efficiency of the gasifiers.The atomization characteristics of HFO(Mazut) discharging from a pressure-swirl atomizer(PSA) are studied for different pressures difference(Δp) and temperatures in the atmospheric ambient. The investigated parameters include atomizer mass flow rate( _m), discharge coefficient(CD), spray cone angle(θ), breakup length(Lb), the unstable wavelength of undulations on the liquid sheet(λs), global and local SMD(sauter mean diameter) and size distribution of droplets. The characteristics of Mazut sheet breakup are deduced from the shadowgraph technique. The experiments on Mazut film breakup were compared with the predictions obtained from the liquid film breakup model. Validity of the theory for predicting maximum unstable wavelength was investigated for HFO(as a highly viscous liquid). A modification on the formulation of maximum unstable wavelength was presented for HFO. SMD decreases by getting far from the atomizer. The measurement for SMD and θ were compared with the available correlations. The comparisons of the available correlations with the measurements of SMD andθ show a good agreement for Ballester and Varde correlations, respectively. The results show that the experimental sizing data could be presented by Rosin-Rammler distributions very well at different pressure difference and temperatures.

THE BREAKUP AND ATOMIZATION OF A VISCOUS LIQUID JET

Based on the linear analysis of stability, a dispersion equation is deduced which delineates the evolution of a general 3-dimensional disturbance on the free surface of an incompressible viscous liquid jet, With respect to the spatial growing disturbance mode, the numerical results obtained from the solution of the dispersion equation reveal that a dimensionless parameter J(e) exists. As J(e) > 1, the axisymmetric disturbance mode is most unstable; and when J(e) < 1, the asymmetric disturbances come into being, their growth rate increases with the decrease of J(e), till one of them becomes the most unstable disturbance. The breakup of a low-speed liquid jet results from the developing of axisymmetric disturbances, whose instability is produced by the surface tension; while the atomization of a high-speed Liquid jet is brought about by the evolution of nonaxisymmetric disturbance, whose instability is caused by the aerodynamic force on the interface between the jet and the ambient gas.

Shape-predicted model of spray forming rod under scanning atomization

A model for simulating the spray forming process with scanning atomizer was developed.Models for the scanning atomization and the deposition processes were coupled together in order to obtain a new description of the spray forming process.The model,which is able to predict the shape of a spray-formed billet prepared with scanning atomizer,was established after analyzing the changes in droplet size and density distribution along the r-axis in the spray cone in scanning atomization.The effects of the two kinds of atomization were compared,showing that the scanning atomization is good for deposition.

Mechanism study of producing non-spherical powder in gas atomization

Gas atomization was usually regarded as a good method for producing the spherical or approximate spherical powders. We found a lot of non-spherical powders in production processes, especially in larger particle size distribution area. The causes of producing non-spherical powders are explained and some analyses are done in order to find a better condition of producing spherical powders in this paper. The following morphologies were obtained by atomized Fe50 Co50 and pure iron and investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）.

Resonant behaviors of ultra-sonic gas atomization nozzle with zero mass-flux jet actuator

The resonant behaviors of an ultra-sonic gas atomization nozzle with a zero mass-flux jet actuator were numerically investigated with FLUENT software by using a double precision unsteady two-dimensional pressure-based solver. The Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model was adopted in the simulations. Numerical results indicated that the oscillation properties of the gas efflux were effectively improved. Several resonatory frequencies corresponding to different vibration modes of gas were distinguished in the nozzle. With the changing of nozzle geometric parameters, different characters among those modes were elucidated by analyzing the propagations of pressure waves.

Design and characterization of clindamycin-loaded nanofiber patches composed of polyvinyl alcohol and tamarind seed gum and fabricated by electrohydrodynamic atomization

In this study, we developed a polymeric nanofiber patch(PNP) for topical disease treatment using electrohydrodynamic atomization(EHDA). The nanofibers were prepared using various concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) and tamarind seed gum and loaded with clindamycin HCl as a model drug. The precursor polymer solutions were sprayed using the EHDA technique; the EHDA processing parameters were optimized to obtain blank and drug-loaded PNPs. The skin adherence, translucence, and ventilation properties of the prepared PNPs indicated that they are appropriate for topical application. The conductivity of the polymer solution increased with increasing PVA and clindamycin concentrations, and increasing the PVA concentration enhanced the solution viscosity. Based on scanning electron microscopy analysis, the PVA concentration had a pronounced effect on the morphology of the sprayed product. Nanofibers were fabricated successfully when the solution PVA concentration was 10%, 13%, or 15%(w/v). The applied voltage significantly affected the diameters of the prepared nanofibers, and the minimum nanofiber diameter was 163.86 nm. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the modeldrug was dispersed in PVA in an amorphous form. The PNP prepared with a PVA:gum ratio of 9:1 absorbed water better than the PVA-only PNP and the PNP with a PVA:gum ratio of 9.5:0.5. Moreover, the PNPs loaded with clindamycin at concentrations of 1%–3% prohibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus more effectively than clindamycin gel, a commercially available product.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ATOMIZATION GAS FIELDS IN VARIOUS ATOMIZING PROCESSES

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Software was used to calculate the atomizing gas fields generated by a self-designed atomizer and to analyze the effects of key atomizing variables such as gas pressure and protrusion length of delivery tube on the gas flow state at the tip of or inside the delivery tube. Increasing the length of delivery tube to a certain extent, the eddy flow region with positive pressure moves away from the tip of delivery tube, which is favorable to achieve the effective atomization of the melt.