Effect of Dual-Stage Counter-Rotating Airflow on Kerosene Spray Atomization and Vaporization

To investigate the effects of airflow on the atomization and vaporization characteristics of kerosene spray, a combined experimental and numerical simulation approach was adopted to compare the impact of three different airflow conditions on kerosene atomization and vaporization under both ambient and high-temperature conditions. The results show that, compared to no airflow and coaxial airflow, counter-rotating airflow significantly increases the radial velocity of droplets, enlarges the spray cone angle, and extends the spatial distribution of kerosene droplets. Under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, the spray morphology with swirl airflow stabilizes at 9 ms, with a spray depth of 60.3 mm and a width of 41.1 mm. At 73 ms, the kerosene vaporization process stabilizes, with a liquid-phase heat absorption rate of 199.7 W and a vaporization rate of 0.348 g/s. Moreover, counter-rotating airflow helps achieve a more uniform spatial distribution of gaseous kerosene and reduces the local equivalence ratio, which contributes to achieving ultra-low NOₓ emissions in the LDI combustor.