DROP AND SPRAY FORMATION FROM A LIQUID JET

A liquid jet emanating from a nozzle into an ambient gas is inherently unstable. It may break up into drops of diameters comparable to the j et diameter or into droplets of diameters several orders of magnitude smaller. The sizes of the drops formed from a liquid jet without exter nal control are in general not uniform. The sizes as well as the size distribution depend on the range of flow parameters in which the jet i s produced. The jet breakup exhibits different characteristics in diff erent regimes of the relevant flow parameters because of the different physical mechanisms involved. Some recent works based on linear stabi lity theories aimed at the delineation of the different regimes and el ucidation of the associated physical mechanisms are reviewed, with the intention of presenting current scientific knowledge on the subject. The unresolved scientific issues are pointed out.