ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted primarily to review some of the mechanisms that have been proposed to account for the manner in which a jet or sheet emerging from an atomizer is broken down into drops. The atomization process is essentially one in which bulk liquid is converted into small drops. When atomization occurs as a result of interaction between a liquid and the surrounding air, the overall atomization process involves several interacting mechanisms, among which is the splitting up of the larger drops during the stages of disintegration. Relative to the case of high relative velocities, the effect of turbulence on drop breakup has received limited attention. The dispersed phase refers to the liquid to be atomized, whereas the continuous phase represents the medium, usually gaseous, in which the atomization occurs. The viscosity of the dispersed phase, however, delays breakup at higher velocities, thereby impeding atomization.
