Study on aerodynamic breakup of non-Newtonian liquid droplets and the distribution characteristics of their sub-droplets

In industrial applications, the secondary breakup of droplets and the size distribution of their sub-droplets are crucial for atomization performance indicators. In this work, a high-speed digital camera is utilized to experimentally and theoretically study the secondary breakup process of xanthan gum (XG) droplets and the size distribution changes of resulting sub-droplets in continuous airflow by changing the Weber number and effective Ohnesorge number. In addition, a detailed study is conducted on the liquid ring with the highest liquid content. The results show that at low Weber numbers, the number of nodes generated at the XG droplet ring is the same as that of the water droplet, following “the combined R-T/aerodynamic drag” mechanism. However, the final diameter of the nodes differs significantly from that of the water droplet. The particle size of XG liquid ring nodes is not only affected by the Weber number but also decreases with the increase of the effective Ohnesorge number. The particle size of the remaining broken sub-droplets in the liquid ring decreases with the increase of the effective Ohnesorge number. Finally, the spatial range of droplet breakup under different parameters is described by using the liquid ring breakup angle, and it is found that the breakup angle of the liquid ring is mainly related to the breakup mode.