Empirical Equations for the Sauter Mean Diameter of a Diesel Spray

New empirical equations to represent the Sauter mean diameter of a spray injected by a diesel nozzle are presented in this paper. In order to determine the new equations, drop sizes of a diesel spray were analyzed by a laser diffraction technique. Liquids with different viscosities and different surface tensions were tested to obtain the generalized empirical equations. The maximum injection and maximum ambient pressures were 90 MPa and 3.0 MPa respectively. Both the minimum value of the injection pressure to produce a fine spray and the Sauter mean diameter increase the greater the viscosity and the surface tension of the liquid. At a high injection velocity, the Sauter mean diameter increases with an increase in ambient pressure, but it decreases when ambient pressure is increased at a low injection velocity. According to the effect of injection velocity and ambient pressure on break-up length and the drop size of the spray, spray formation mechanisms can be divided into two categories, the function of the injection velocity and the physical properties of the liquid. Finally, dimensionless analysis of each category leads to the general empirical equations for the Sauter mean diameter.