The sizing of large droplets by laser anemometry

Abstract

A laser anemometer operating in the fringe mode has been designed to measure the velocity and size of droplets with diameters between 0.1 and 1.0 mm. The time for the droplet to cross the optical axis is measured and correlated with simultaneous measurement of the droplet velocity to give the droplet size. The system is sensitive to the direction of movement and the size measurement is restricted to the cross-sectional diameter of the droplet. The evaluation was limited to simple droplet flows but an automated system is applicable to sprays of large droplets.