Laboratory and facilities

The centrepiece of the nozzle measurement technology at Lechler is our spray laboratory in the development and technology centre. Here, our engineers have extensive measuring equipment and state-of-the-art test benches with a wide range of pump capacities available. From microfine mist up to large sprays, a wide variety of metrological investigations can be performed on the complete Lechler product range.

The Lechler high-pressure test bench allows measurements to be taken to determine the jet force of a spray under real conditions. This allows the nozzle angle and angle of rotation to be adjusted according to the mounting conditions of the nozzles in the system.

The detection of the impact with a high local resolution takes place up to very high pressures with the highest precision and repeatability.

The use of a Phase Doppler Anemometer (PDA) allows non-contact, simultaneous measurement of droplet sizes and velocities. By observing and evaluating the optical effects occurring during the passage through a volume formed by four laser beams, the desired measured quantities are determined.

Corresponding internal standards at Lechler ensure the these complex measurements are highly repeatable.

Further information:

• www.dantecdynamics.com

By using a laser light source, which acts as a uniform backlight through appropriate filters, a camera can take pictures of a small section of a spray. The size referenced images allow the evaluation of the droplets in terms of their size.

It is also possible to make statements about the roundness of the droplets. By evaluating recorded image pairs, the speed can be measured in addition to the droplet size throughout the path travelled by the droplets.

Further information:

• www.oxfordlasers.com

Together with an industrial partner, Lechler operates an experimental cooler for the metrological validation of calculation models when using single-fluid and two-fluid nozzles under realistic conditions.

The experimental cooler allows detecting the evaporation rate of the injected spray by monitoring the droplet size and number in several levels. To allow precise acquisition of all operating data, more than 50 sensors of different types are used.

Even nozzles for cleaning the inside of tanks must operate reliably. To prove this function, Lechler tank cleaning nozzles are tested in a specially designed test bench.

This allows the simulation of complete cleaning cycles under real operating conditions including appropriate contamination scenarios. Among other things, the test bench has an exact temperature control to verify point-precise container cleaning.

To determine liquid distributions the special test benches are a proved method of measurement. The spray from individual nozzles or entire nozzle assemblies is collected in sections. Then the volume of each individual section is determined.

Measuring liquid distribution is a valuable tool for optimising the design of nozzles and nozzle assemblies as a function of different operating parameters such as target distance, operating pressure and nozzle arrangement. Lechler has several test benches with different resolution for measuring liquid distribution.