Measuring liquid droplet size in two-phase nozzle flow employing numerical and experimental analyses

The flavoring process ensures the quality of cigarettes by endowing them with special tastes. In this process, the flavoring liquid is atomized into particles by a nozzle and mixed with the tobacco in a rotating drum. The particle size of the flavoring liquid has great influence on the atomization effect; however, limited research has addressed the quantitation of the liquid particle size in two-phase nozzle flow. To bridge this research gap, the authors of this study employed numerical and experimental techniques to explore the quantitative analysis of particle size. First, a simulation model for the flavoring nozzle was established to investigate the atomization effect under different ejection pressures. Then, an experimental test is carried out to compare the test results with the simulation results. Lastly, the influencing factors of liquid particle size in two-phase nozzle flow were analyzed to quantify particle size. The analysis results demonstrated that there was a cubic correction relationship between the simulation and experiment particle size. The findings of this study may provide a reliable reference when evaluating the atomization effect of flavoring nozzles.