The present simulation study investigates the effects of ambient pressure oscillation on cylindrical liquid jet sprays, using the volume of fluid method. The research is motivated by combustion instability in combustion engines, where strong harmonic pressure oscillation can damage internal structures. Oscillating pressure modulates not only the fuel mass flow rate but also the ambient gas density and liquid surface tension, and in liquid sprays, the ambient fluid density and surface tension can have substantial effects on spray breakup. In order to investigate the multiple property changes with ambient pressure oscillation, therefore, a new solver in OpenFOAM is developed. In the solver, liquid mass flow rate, ambient gas density, and liquid surface tension change simultaneously as a result of pressure oscillation. Simulations were conducted at a Reynolds number of 2000 and Weber number over 2000, conditions that are conducive to primary breakup in laminar flows. The simulations show that oscillations in ambient pressure significantly strengthen the surface instability of the liquid ligament, which depends on the surface tension–pressure coefficient, the mean pressure, and the amplitude of oscillation.

In order to optimize the slit/slot geometry design of a bipropellant pintle injector, the impinging spray development of a pintle injector was numerically investigated. The VOF (volume of fluid) and LES (large eddy simulation) methods were employed for an analysis to capture the gas–liquid interface by means of the AMR (adaptive mesh refinement) method. In those simulation cases, different flowrates, slot numbers, pintle diameters, slot thicknesses and slot shapes were compared for an analysis. In a comparison of visualization and quantification, a high flowrate and large pintle diameter were shown to be more positive features for improving the atomization quality and mixing effect. As for the slot parameters and shape, the spray development was mainly determined by the flow proportion between the slit jet and slot jet. The simulation results indicated that dominant slot jets cause a more dispersed spatial distribution, which is more conducive to the subsequent improvement of combustion efficiency in a limited space. However, an excessive increase in the number of slot jets can weaken the overall atomization quality and mixing effect, so it is suggested to ensure a balance for geometry design optimization.

In order to develop a new generation of intelligent satellites, fast-response bipropellant thrusters are required to work in minimum impulse mode without limitation. When a valve is opening, the fluctuation affects downstream spray atomization at the injector, which determines the thruster’s impulse performance, involving combustion efficiency and impulse repeatability. Accordingly, the spray atomization under impulse working condition was investigated to optimize the thruster’s dynamic response. The effects of propellant property, switch speed, valve stroke, and throttle orifice layout are respectively compared in simulation cases using OpenFOAM. The fluctuating flowrate caused by valve opening was simulated and then used as boundary conditions for downstream spray. Among these factors, orifice layout plays the most significant roles in transient spray development. Compared with MMH spray, NTO spray from outer swirl injector is more sensitive to upstream fluctuation. When the upstream flowrate stabilizes faster, the atomization stability can also be enhanced, thereby improving the impulse repeatability of thrusters in combustion. This experimental result was in good agreement with the simulation, thereby showing that only when atomization of MMH spray and NTO spray both develop into a steady state within 5 ms after valve opening can the impulse performance be reliably achieved.