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Updated: Nov 22, 2025
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Glass-Based Devices to Generate Drops and Emulsions
Published on: April 5, 2022
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On explosive boiling of a multicomponent Leidenfrost drop
Sijia Lyu1, Huanshu Tan2, Yuki Wakata1
1Center for Combustion Energy, Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, International Joint Laboratory on Low Carbon Clean Energy Innovation, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Summary
The explosion of a three-component fuel drop (water, ethanol, oil) was studied. Preferential ethanol evaporation caused oil droplet nucleation, leading to a final explosive event when the drop contacted the hot surface.
Area of Science:
- Multicomponent fuel drop gasification
- Liquid fuel combustion and atomization
- Microemulsion formation and stability
Background:
- Multicomponent fuel drop gasification is crucial for energy technologies.
- Drop explosion enhances fuel atomization, improving combustion efficiency and reducing emissions.
- Understanding these phenomena is key to optimizing liquid-fueled engines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the explosive gasification of a specific tricomponent droplet (water, ethanol, oil).
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of self-induced explosion during gasification.
- To analyze the role of component evaporation and phase changes in the explosion process.
Main Methods:
- High-speed monitoring of a levitated tricomponent droplet in a Leidenfrost state.
- Controlled gasification over a superheated plate.
- Observation of droplet behavior, including evaporation, nucleation, coalescence, and explosion.
Main Results:
- Preferential evaporation of ethanol led to oil micro/nanodroplet nucleation, forming an oil-in-water microemulsion.
- Coalescence of oil droplets created an encapsulating layer around the water.
- Loss of levitation due to the oil layer caused the drop to contact the surface, triggering a final explosion.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals a unique explosive gasification pathway for a water-ethanol-oil droplet.
- Component-selective evaporation and subsequent phase transitions drive the explosion mechanism.
- This detailed understanding can inform the design of advanced liquid fuels and combustion systems.
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