Optimization of Dust Suppressant Spray Nozzle Design through CFD Simulation and Response Surface Methodology

To enhance the atomization performance of viscous fluids using pressure-swirl nozzles, a numerical simulation of the internal and external atomization flow fields was conducted based on the volume of fluid (VOF) model. The structural parameters of the nozzle were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The effects of the swirl chamber width (W), the length of the straight section (L), diameter of nozzle (D), and the swirl chamber angle (α) on the atomization performance were also investigated. Through a central composite design, a response surface regression model and a mathematical optimization model with the atomization angle (θ) and the volumetric flow rate (Q) as the objective variables was established. The optimization results indicated that the nozzle’s atomization flow field improved significantly with the optimized structural parameters. Compared to the original structure, the atomization angle and volumetric flow rate of the optimized nozzle increased by 26.60% and 80.44%, respectively. This demonstrates a substantial improvement in the atomization performance of centrifugal nozzles for the viscous fluids.