Experimental study of liquid nitrogen spray characteristics in atmospheric environment

• Published in: Applied thermal engineering Vol. 142; pp. 717 - 722
• Main Authors: Xue, Rong, Ruan, Yixiao, Liu, Xiufang, Chen, Liang, Zhang, Xingqun, Hou, Yu, Chen, Shuangtao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Cooling; Cooling systems; Cryogenic cooling; Discharge coefficient; Droplet spatial distribution; Fog; Liquid nitrogen; Liquid nitrogen spray; Low temperature physics; Mass flow rate; Nitrogen; Nozzles; Orifices; Pressure; Pressure effects; Spatial distribution; Spray characteristics; Spray cone angle; Spray cooling; Spray field; Spray nozzles; Spray field; Liquid nitrogen spray; Mass flow rate; Spray cone angle; Droplet spatial distribution
• ISSN: 1359-4311; 1873-5606
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.07.056

•Spray characteristics of the liquid nitrogen were experimentally investigated.•Two fine fog nozzles with different outlet diameters were tested in the experiment.•Spray characteristics obtained could benefit the nozzle selection in a cooling system. A comprehensive understanding of the spray characteristics at the macroscopic and microscopic levels is crucial for taking advantage of a liquid nitrogen spray. In this study, an open cycle system is developed for investigating the liquid nitrogen spray characteristics of two fine fog nozzles with different outlet diameters in an atmospheric environment. The effect of the injection pressure and nozzle orifice diameter on the mass flow rate, discharge coefficient, spray field pattern, and spray cone angle are obtained, as well as the droplet spatial distribution. The correlation between these parameters could benefit the selection of spray nozzles in a cryogenic spray cooling system.