EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PRESSURE SWIRL ATOMIZERS FOR LEAD OXIDE PRODUCTION

In this experiment, swirl injectors were designed and tested to validate their use in spraying liquid

lead into a Barton pot combustion chamber to produce lead oxide at a smaller particle size than

the current stream injection. Testing was done with water and air to determine the best design for

atomization results, and then the injector was fabricated for liquid lead testing. Thermochemistry

calculations showed that due to lead oxidation being a surface reaction, the combustion process

was diffusion controlled. These conditions were used to determine residence time inside a Barton

pot combustion chamber for predicted droplet sizes. Results of the liquid lead testing showed that

final lead oxide particle size and residence time was reduced when using a swirl atomizer in place

of a steady feed stream. Further calculations were done to create a model for a standard combustion

chamber and injection system for lead oxide production.