BFRL ICON Measurement of Droplet Size in Sprinkler Sprays.


pdf icon Measurement of Droplet Size in Sprinkler Sprays. (1758 K)
Lawson, J. R.; Walton, W. D.; Evans, D. D.

NBSIR 88-3715; 51 p. April 1988.

Sponsor:

General Services Admin., Washington, DC

Available from:

National Technical Information Service
Order number: PB88-215454

Keywords:

droplets; water sprays; sprinkler systems

Abstract:

A computer-controlled video shadowgraph was used to collect data on the spray characteristics of a commercially available sprinkler head. A total of 15 tests were carried out that measured spray characteristics at different positions close to the sprinkler head. Tests were conducted using two different water flow rates, one and two liters per second. Droplet diameters were measured and analyzed to produce graphic presentations of normalized cumulative volume and cumulative number vs. droplet diameter data. In addition, a comparison was made between the droplet diameters measured using the video analyzer and droplet samples collected in a light oil and measured manually using a microscope. The data are also compared with results found in the literature. Data on more than 66,000 spray droplets were collected and used for analysis in the development of this report.



Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899