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是很常见的，以保持道路在冬季的安全驾驶。这些化学物质虽然能有效地防止道路结冰，但会导致车辆过早退化。森科尔已经开发出一种新一代的洗车设施，称为滑翔洗，有效地清除污垢和道路化学品的车辆，以延长其使用寿命的目的。截至目前，Glide Wash设施的清洗阶段的表现符合预期。然而，干燥阶段的业绩不佳。当前一代的干燥器声音大，消耗相当大的能量，并且最重要的是，已经发现不能满足关于除水性能的公司或消费者满意度要求。该提案旨在通过一系列关于空气射流与表面水滴相互作用的实验研究来改善水去除过程。水滴上的空气动力学载荷预计取决于水滴与飞行器上的射流冲击位置的距离，远离冲击位置的水滴经历更均匀的流动，而靠近射流区域的水滴经历载荷的急剧空间梯度。水滴的变形和运动，由于所施加的空气动力学载荷将被调查的各种射流参数，包括角度和速度，制定一套准则的射流特性，以最佳地从表面去除水的目的。这些指南将有助于开发下一代空气喷射干燥器，以纳入Glide Wash系列洗车设施。

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.