A computational methodology to account for the liquid film thickness evolution in Direct Numerical Simulation of prefilming airblast atomization

Prefilming airblast atomization is becoming widely used in current aero engines. Fundamental studies on the actual annular configuration of airblast atomizers are difficult to realize. For this reason, researchers have also focused on planar configurations. In this regard, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) developed a test rig to conduct experimental activities, conforming a large database with results for different working fluids and operating conditions. Such data allow two-phase flow modelers to validate their calculations concerning primary atomization on these devices. The present investigation proposes a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) study on the KIT planar configuration through the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method within the PARIS Simulator code. The novelty compared to DNS works reported in the literature resides in the use of a boundary condition that allows accounting not only for the gas inflow turbulence but also for the spatio-temporal evolution of the liquid film thickness at the DNS inlet and its related effect on turbulence. The proposed methodology requires computing precursor single-phase and two-phase flow Large-Eddy Simulations on the prefilmer flow, with the assumption that the flow between computational domains is one-way coupled. Results are compared to DNS that only account for a constant (both timewise and spanwise) liquid film thickness at the domain inlet, validating the full methodology workflow. The proposed methodology is shown to improve the qualitative description of the atomization mechanism, as the different stages of breakup (liquid accumulation behind the prefilmer edge, bag formation, bag breakup, ligament formation and ligament breakup) coexist spanwise for a given temporal snapshot. This implies a more continuous atomization than the one predicted by the constant film thickness case, which showed the same breakup stage to be present along the prefilmer span for a given instant and led to a more discretized set of atomization events. The proposed workflow allows quantifying the influence of the liquid film flow evolution above the prefilmer surface on primary breakup frequency and relevant atomization features.