METHODOLOGY FOR MODEL DISCRIMINATION AND CRITICISM FOR LIQUID ATOMIZATION DATA

The present work establishes a methodology used to conduct a comparati ve study of various probability distributions generally used to descri be liquid spray atomization data. This methodology involves model disc rimination and criticism, as well as random sampling used to obtain ob jective criteria for choosing among rival models. Examples, representi ng different atomization mechanisms, are given for the determination o f the relative posterior probabilities of candidate models and for the ir goodness of fit when models are fitted to a common data set. The me thodology has been extended to include unreplicated data in addition t o replicated data. The end result Is presented in a form suitable for formulating empirical models of spray size distributions, with the int ent of incorporating such models into multidimensional, two-phase flow simulations.