Water drop movement on woven fiber mat surfaces due to flow of diesel fuel

摘要

Fuel contamination by water is one of the major factors of engine failures. Separation of water from diesel fuel is often achieved by coalescing or depth filter media. The separation performance is strongly related to the motion of drops on the surface and in the depth of a filter medium. The dynamics of the motions of drops on a filter surface are influenced by many factors such as the wetting properties of the media. Direct observations of drop movements on fiber surfaces are not well documented. Of particular interest in this work are the dynamics of drops on surfaces of hydrophobic mats that resist drop movement into the interior of the mat, forcing the drops to move on the surface of the mat. Such materials function as barriers to the dispersed phase and allow the continuous phase to move through the mat.