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This paper aims to analyze spray characteristics of rapeseed oil as a cutting fluid in minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) through numerical simulation.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used in this numerical study. The Eulerian–Lagrangian approach was used in this simulation to project trajectories of the droplets as the cutting fluid is dispersed into a continuous phase, i.e. air. The spray characteristics of the multiphase fluids were obtained numerically using the discrete phase model (DPM).

The spray characteristics such as particle diameter and velocity were obtained for various pressure level, flow rate and nozzle diameter. The particle diameter decreased with increased pressure, whereas the velocity increased with increased pressure, flow rate and nozzle diameter. The changes in particle diameter are insignificant with respect to flow rate and nozzle diameter. DPM is an effective tool for machining processes to determine the behaviour of different cutting fluids under the MQL system.

In this study, the droplet and velocity distribution of vegetable oil, i.e. rapeseed oil, was investigated at the different air pressure, flow rate and nozzle diameter. This study will give insight for the manufacturer to select the better MQL system parameters to reduce the cost, time of machining processes and enhance the sustainability of the process.