Design and test of low-frequency Hartmann atomization nozzle with stepped resonance tube

Abstract: The droplet quality of hydrodynamic ultrasonic atomization nozzle is better than the ordinary two-phase nozzle. And the atomization amount is larger than the piezoelectric atomization nozzle. High-quality droplet and high atomization amount are both required in the field of aeroponics. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a hydrodynamic ultrasonic atomizing nozzle suitable for large-scale aeroponics. Based on the basic principle of the Hartmann resonator, in this study, the mechanism of ultrasonic vibration of resonant cavity and the atomization mechanism of resonant cavity supersonic nozzle were analyzed theoretically. The Hartmann low-frequency ultrasonic atomization nozzle with stepped resonator and adjustable structural parameters was designed, including the Laval tube, the stepped tube, and conical shield. The influence of the structural parameters on the resonant state of the resonator was studied by means of CFD software transient numerical simulation. In order to make the spraying angle controllable, active flow control was used in the atomizing area, namely, adding a conical shield at the exit of the nozzle. The oscillation characteristics of the stepped resonance tube were further studied parametrically by numerical simulation methods. Numerical simulation of three kinds of atomizing nozzles including cylindrical tube, stepped tube and stepped tube with conical shield was carried out. The parameters which were studied were as follows: the distance between Laval outlet and inlet of stepped tube, depth ratio of the second stepped hole and the first stepped hole, conical cover, diameter ratio of the second stepped hole and the first stepped hole. Numerical simulation results showed that: (1) If the depth ratio of the stepped tube exceeded 2, its resonance frequency reached 1.6 to 1.7 times of the cylindrical one under the same working parameters; (2) The conical shield can make the pressure oscillation amplitude in the cavity bigger; and (3) The diameter ratio of the stepped resonator had a great influence on the resonant state of the resonator. The variation of diameter ratio of the stepped resonator changed the resonant mode of the stepped resonator from one mode to another. It also can make the resonance phenomenon disappear. As such, the key dimensions of the stepped resonator were determined accordingly. And an optimal diameter ratio was selected for trial production. And the optimal distance between Laval tube outlet and the resonant inlet 5.5 mm were selected as the initial structural parameter values of the spray test. The droplet size of three kinds of atomizing nozzles was tested and the test of droplet size was carried out with distance between Laval tube outlet and the resonant inlet, depth ratio of the second stepped hole and the first stepped hole, and other factors as variables. Moreover, its atomization properties were tested contrastively under different conditions. Research results showed that: (1) Start-up properties of oscillation can be optimized due to the main frequency unaffected by the conical shield；(2) The diameter ratio of stepped resonance tube was a quite sensitive parameter influencing the resonance state. The variation of diameter ratio can make the resonance mode change from 'jet regurgitant mode' to 'jet scream mode' or make the oscillation disappear; (3) Atomization properties of Hartmann atomization nozzle with a stepped resonance tube was better than those of Hartmann atomization nozzle with a cylindrical one; (4) If the air supply pressure was low, the droplet size was more sensitive with the pressure after adding a conical shield, while the gap of the average droplet size between the nozzle with stepped tube and that with traditional tube was not obvious under the condition of high air supply pressure. The distance between the Laval tube exit and the resonance tube was another sensitive parameter influencing the droplet size. An optimal distance, where the minimum droplet size can be acquired, was 6.5 mm. The droplet diameter increased gradually no matter the distance was bigger or smaller than the optimal distance. However, the droplet diameter varied slightly with the distance near the optimal point.