- Letter
- Open Access
- Access by Xinjiang University
Ambient air pressure controls spray cloud formation
Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, L062301 – Published 4 June, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ysbc-7qd2
Abstract
We present an experimental study of sprays produced from microfabricated spray nozzles as a function of nozzle geometry, flow rate, and ambient pressure. Our findings reveal that spray cloud formation is driven by friction with the surrounding air, resulting in a conical structure whose spatial extent scales as the square root of time. We identify a critical pressure threshold below which the characteristic fanning out of spray clouds, attributed to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, fails to occur.
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