A Pulsed Injection, Electrostatic Atomizer for Small Internal Combustion Engines

This paper presents results of numerical simulations and experiments of an electrostatically inuenced pressure atomizer. The secondary breakup of a droplet is enhanced through charge injection resulting in a Coulombic explosion. The amount of energy in a droplet is dependent on the local eld strength. Likewise, the local eld strength depends on several variables such as the separation distance between the charged liquid and the secondary electrode located downstream of the injector. We present a setup for laboratory testing of this concept. Spray visualization and droplet volume distributions are used to determine the secondary atomization as a result of electrostatic inuence. The critical parameters examined in this study include applied electrode voltage, upstream pumping pressure and fuel pulse duration.