A Two-Parameter Corresponding States Method for Calculating the Steady-State Evaporation Rate of C 2 –C 9 n-Alkane Droplets in Air for Elevated Pressures and Temperatures

Advanced gas turbine and internal combustion engine combustion chambers operate at highly elevated pressures and temperatures. Therefore, spray vaporization analysis cannot be limited to the atmospheric environment since evaporation strongly depends on ambient conditions. Presently, the effect of air pressure and temperature on droplet evaporation rate was investigated by using both a transient and a steady-state approach. A corresponding states model was derived for the steady-state evaporation rate for n-alkanes in the range of C2–C9 with an excellent fit quality and < 1% model uncertainty, considering the thermophysical data uncertainties. The model was tested for C1, C10, and C12 n-alkanes as well with low success. The ambient conditions were evaluated in terms of reduced pressures and temperatures, covering the range of 0.02–0.5 and 1.2–1.5, respectively. However, the applicability of the model was limited to reduced temperature of 1.3–1.5, as higher discrepancy was observed between the trends of the different n-alkanes at lower temperatures. Since the heat-up phase of practical sprays in combustion chambers is often short, the present model might significantly reduce the computational effort required for liquid evaporation calculations.