Air jet interaction with a wetted surface: towards designing the next generation auto wash facilities

在加拿大，使用盐和其他刺激性化学物质来保证冬季行车的道路安全是很常见的。这些化学物质虽然能有效防止道路结冰，但会导致车辆过早老化。Suncor开发了下一代洗车设备，称为Glide wash，旨在有效去除车辆上的污垢和道路化学物质，以延长车辆的使用寿命。到目前为止，Glide洗涤设施的洗涤阶段正在达到预期。然而，干燥阶段表现不佳。当前一代的干燥机噪音大，消耗大量能源，而且，最重要的是，已被发现不能满足企业或消费者对除水性能的满意要求。本研究旨在通过一系列空气射流与表面水滴相互作用的实验研究来改善水的去除过程。水滴所受的气动载荷取决于液滴与飞行器上的射流撞击位置的距离，远离撞击位置的液滴流动更为均匀，而靠近射流区域的液滴在载荷上经历了明显的空间梯度。研究人员将根据不同的射流参数（包括角度和速度）研究水滴在空气动力载荷作用下的变形和运动，目的是为射流特性制定一套指导方针，以最佳地从表面去除水分。这些指导方针将有助于下一代喷气干衣机的发展，以纳入格莱德洗涤家族的洗车设施。

The use of salt and other harsh chemicals is common in Canada to keep roads safe for driving in winter. These chemicals, while effective at keeping ice at bay on the roads, lead to premature degradation of vehicles. Suncor has developed a next-generation car wash facility, called Glide Wash, with the aim of effectively removing dirt and road chemicals from vehicles in order to extend their operational lives. As of now, the washing phase of the Glide Wash facility is performing up to expectations. The drying phase, however, is underperforming. Current generation dryers are loud, consume considerable energy, and, most importantly, have been found not to meet corporate or consumer satisfaction requirements regarding water removal performance. This proposal seeks to improve the water removal process through a series of experimental investigations on the interaction of an air jet with surface water droplets. The aerodynamic loading on the water droplets is expected to depend on the distance of the droplet from the jet impact location on the vehicle, with droplets far from impact site experiencing more uniform flow, while the near jet region the droplets experience sharp spatial gradients in loading. The deformation and motility of water droplets due to the applied aerodynamic loading will be investigated for various jet parameters, including angle and speed, with the aim of developing a set of guidelines for the jet characteristics necessary to optimally remove water from the surface. These guidelines will be aid in the development of next generation air jet dryers for incorporation into the Glide Wash family of car wash facilities.