Investigation of self-pulsation characteristics for a liquid-centered swirl coaxial injector with recess

A combined experimental and numerical investigation was conducted to explore the self-pulsation characteristics generated by a liquid-centered swirl coaxial injector with an inner post recess of 5 mm. A back-lighting photography technique was employed to capture the instantaneous flow patterns in recess chamber with a high speed camera. Pressure oscillations in recess chamber were also measured by the miniature pressure transducer. 2-D unsteady numerical simulations basing on swirl axi-symmetric model were performed. Good agreements were generally achieved between numerical simulation and experiment in aspect for the mechanism and characteristic frequency of self-pulsation. It was found that the blocking actions of the conical liquid sheet play a crucial role in self-pulsation for the coaxial injector with recess. Self-pulsation occurs coinciding with strong pressure oscillation in recess chamber. The frequencies of spray oscillation and gas pressure in recess chamber correspond well with each other. Self-pulsation frequencies are approximately linearly proportional to the liquid Reynolds number under certain conditions. In addition, the spray oscillation transforms from high frequency pulsation (at about 3000 Hz) to ultra-high frequency pulsation (ranging from 8000 Hz to 9000 Hz) with an increase in the gas Reynolds number when the mass flow rate of liquid is large enough.