The flow rate

spray cone angle

and droplet diameter of swirl nozzles are key parameters in the snow-making process of an outdoor snow-maker. Aimed at the swirl nozzle of a domestic outdoor snow-maker

a mathematical model was established based on the volume of fluid method (VOF) and RNG k-ε turbulence model. The atomization process for the water in the nozzle was studied

and the effects of the water injection pressure and inner wall roughness of the nozzle on the atomization performance were analyzed. The results demonstrate that the spray cone angle and liquid film thickness are less sensitive to changes in the injection pressure

while the droplet diameter decreases with the increase in injection pressure. The decrease in droplet diameter is attributed to the increased water velocity

which enhanced the instability of the liquid film and the secondary breakup of droplets. As the smoothness of the nozzle wall decreased

the air vortex and water atomization cone angle generated by atomization also decreased

however

the reduced smoothness of the nozzle is helpful to obtain a larger atomization flow rate.