Experimental Observations on the Disruptive Combustion of Free Droplets of Multicomponent Fuels

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Abstract
The disruptive burning characteristics of isolated free droplets of binary n-paraffin mixtures have been observed experimentally. For disruptions to occur a minimum difference in the normal boiling points of the components as well as a certain initial concentration of the more volatile component must exist. The initial concentration of the volatile component must be within a limited range defined by the relation of the homogeneous superheat limit of the mixture to the normal boiling point of the less volatile material. Disruptive burning is a result of homogeneous nucleation of the mixture somewhere within the interior of the droplet. Mass diffusion is the limiting liquid transport process which results in superheating of the droplet interior. Comparison with previous studies of micro-explosive atomization of water-in-fuel emulsions shows that the disruptive burning of a binary fuel mixture is a slower and less violent process. It is also concluded that through relieving the requirement for homogeneous nucleation, the presence of a suspending filament perturbs the droplet combustion characteristics and results in the enhancement of disruptive burning.