Evaluation of the Parameters of the Dispersed Stream Generated by Various Types of Water Nozzles
Authors: Wiktor Wąsik  
Published: June 2023

Aim: The purpose of the research was to determine the parameters of the micro- and macro-structure of the streams generated by nozzles of different types, and to identify potential applications of the tested water nozzles, including firefighting and air pollution removal. Introduction: TF6 FCN, TF6 V, NF 15 and CW 50 water nozzles were tested. At supply pressures of 0.2 MPa, 0.4 MPa and 0.6 MPa, the basic parameters of micro- and macrostructure of the streams were measured and determined: flow rate, spray angle, mass distribution of liquid on the surface (spray intensity), non-uniformity of spray density distribution, and average droplet diameters and spray spectrum. A sputter spectrum analyser, using the photoelectric method, was used to determine the microstructural parameters of the stream. Project and methods: Badaniom poddano dysze wodne TF6 FCN, TF6 V, NF 15 oraz CW 50. Przy ciśnieniu zasilania równym 0,2 MPa, 0,4 MPa oraz 0,6 MPa zmierzono i wyznaczono podstawowe parametry mikro- i makrostruktury strumieni: natężenie przepływu, kąt rozpylenia, rozkład masowy cieczy na powierzchni (intensywność zraszania), nierównomierność rozkładu gęstości zraszania oraz średnie średnice kropel i widmo rozpylenia. Do określenia paramentów mikrostrukturalnych strumienia zastosowano analizator widma rozpylenia, wykorzystujący metodę fotoelektryczną. Results: The tested nozzles generated dispersed streams with different parameters. Among the analysed nozzles, the highest degree of dispersion was obtained for the TF 6 FCN sample, whose average Sauter mean diameter (SMD) reached a value of 217.3 μm. In comparison, for the NF15 nozzle this parameter was 945 μm. The spray spectra indicate a high homogeneity of water dispersion in the stream produced by the nozzles TF 6 FCN and CW 50. From the distribution of mass sprinkling density, the CW 50 nozzle shows the greatest uniformity of spraying. At the same time, however, it reports a small amount of water, since the value of the spray density for this product did not exceed 100 g/( m2 · s), while for the NF 15 nozzle it was more than 2,700 g/( m2 · s). The obtained spray angles were close to those declared by the nozzle manufacturer. In the tests of all samples, a slight effect of supply pressure on the values of this parameter was observed. Conclusions: Among other things, the tests made it possible to conclude that in the range of supply pressures of 0.2÷0.6 MPa, the values of disperse angle and spray area of the analysed nozzles were constant or the recorded differences were insignificant. In addition, it was determined that in the case of nozzles with full spray cones, an increase in supply pressure (within the range of declared operating values) has little effect on changing the parameters of the micro- and macro-structure of the stream. The conducted tests showed the potential use of two nozzles (TF6 FCN, CW 50) in low-pressure fog extinguishing systems producing fog with SMD droplet diameters > 200 μm. For the absorption of hazardous substances, it is recommended to use nozzles with a large spray angle and a full spray cone, which, as tests have shown, produce uniform streams with small droplet diameters. Keywords: water nozzles, water spray, spray spectrum, mass spray density, water mist