Experimental study on impinging velocimetry of gel simulants based on PIV

In order to study the atomization of gelled propellant, the effects with different pressure drop and impinging angle on atomization of impinging injector with gelled propellant were studied by a Time-Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV), in which the injection impinging angles were 45°, 60°, 75°, 90° and 120°, the pressures drop ranged from 0.4 MPa to 0.8 MPa. The experimental results indicate that the distribution of atomization velocity is symmetry by the impinging axis and has one peak. The further from the strike spot, the smaller the atomization velocity and more uniform.The effective impinging speed of gel propellant is improved by increasing impinging angle and pressure drop. That is because the liquid kinetic energy converted to the energy of liquid broken is enhanced, and the atomization quality is improved. Finally, the gel propellant prepared in laboratory can be fully atomized when the effective impinging velocity is above 27.9 m/s.