Flash boiling atomization under negative pressure conditions

Flash boiling atomization is one of the most promising methods for generating high quality, uniform tiny droplets. Similar to other atomization methods, a higher pressure difference across the atomization element (higher vapor pressure or lower ambient pressure) would be expected to result in smaller droplets. In the present brief communication, we examine the theoretical effect of lowering the ambient pressure inside the atomizer well below absolute zero (negative pressures). We evaluate the bubbles' growth rate and their size at burst time as a plausible indication of the droplets' size. We also present how the efficiency of this process depends on the pressure negativity. Our results suggest that negative ambient pressures do not necessarily contribute to the process efficiency and hence to the droplets' refinement.