RÉSUMÉ

Internal and external flow fields of macrolaminated atomizers are visualized and investigated by using CFD tools. Although for the three-dimensional turbulent flow calculations there is a lack of measurement data to quantitatively verify the accuracy, the numerical visualizations can still be very valuable in providing insight into this complicated flow situation. The distinctive features of air-core-like formation and hollow cone spray structure are well captured. The effects of orifice diameter (D_or) on the flow velocities, turbulence kinetic energy (TKE), and spray cone angle (2θ) in the exit region are also examined. With increasing the D_or, in general, the intensity of TKE and swirling effect are smaller, whereas the spray cone angle is wider. The results of this numerical research provide better understanding of the complex flow characteristics of swirl atomizers that are not easily accessible experimentally, and may be useful for practical atomizer design and improvement.