In pesticide application, the lack of a suitable theoretical atomization model for flat-fan spray nozzles forces a reliance on empirical data and correlations, even for computational simulations. There is considerable difficulty in the theoretical analysis of the liquid sheet emanating from flat-fan nozzles because no simplification to a two-dimensional analysis can be employed, as is done for cylindrical jets. Nonetheless, 50 years ago, Dombrowski and co-workers used linear stability analysis to analyze the breakup of flat-fan spray sheets into ligaments and from ligaments to droplets. Their correlations have not found use because they include parameters that are difficult, if not impossible, to measure. In this work, the Dombrowski model is simplified using dimensional analysis, resulting in a correlation to predict the volume median diameter of flat-fan sprays in terms of common user parameters, i.e., the nozzle size and operating pressure.
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