TY - JOUR TI - Binary collision of burning and non-burning droplets of xylene DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3G73HVD PY - 2017 AB - The collision behavior of a burning droplet of xylene with a non-burning droplet of xylene is studied. Two piezoelectric droplet generators are used to generate streams of isolated mono-dispersed droplets. These droplet generators are placed vertically opposite to each-other, and the droplets are generated at a frequency of 6 Hz. Droplet diameters range from 80 micro-meters to 95 micro-meters; and droplet velocities vary from 0.7 m/s - 1.5 m/s, for the lower droplet and from 1.5 m/s - 2.5 m/s, for the upper droplet. The droplet streams are confined within a cuvette. The collision occurs at atmospheric pressure, and a constant supply of O2 is maintained in the cuvette to allow burning of the droplet. A CCD strobe is used to detect the two droplets and make adjustments to have them collide. The lower droplet is ignited with a spark. For the experiments, the collision process is recorded using a high-speed camera. The relative velocity and impact parameter of the collisions are varied by changing the supply current to the piezoelectric droplet generators and by moving the lower droplet, respectively. The recorded videos of the collision process are analyzed using a MATLAB script to track the droplets and calculate their velocities and the impact parameter in each case. The collision outcomes are studied under a range of Weber numbers and for varying Impact Parameter. The post-collision behavior of the xylene flame suggests that the gas between the colliding droplets is rapidly ejected, and the flow pattern greatly affects the progression of the flame. With the introduction of burning droplets, existing theoretical models may need to be refined to better predict the onset of various collision regimes. KW - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering KW - Xylene LA - eng ER -