  Whereas direct numerical simulation (DNS) have reached a high level of
description in the field of atomization processes, they are not yet able to
cope with industrial needs since they lack resolution and are too costly.
Predictive simulations relying on reduced order modeling have become mandatory
for applications ranging from cryotechnic to aeronautic combustion chamber
liquid injection. Two-fluid models provide a good basis in order to conduct
such simulations, even if recent advances allow to refine subscale modeling
using geometrical variables in order to reach a unified model including
separate phases and disperse phase descriptions based on high order moment
methods. The simulation of such models has to rely on dedicated numerical
methods and still lacks assessment of its predictive capabilities. The present
paper constitutes a building block of the investigation of a hierarchy of
test-cases designed to be amenable to DNS while close enough to industrial
configurations, for which we propose a comparison of two-fluid compressible
simulations with DNS data-bases. We focus in the present contribution on an
air-assisted water atomization using a planar liquid sheet injector.
Qualitative and quantitative comparisons with incompressible DNS allow us to
identify and analyze strength and weaknesses of the reduced-order modeling and
numerical approach in this specific configuration and set a framework for more
refined models since they already provide a very interesting level of
comparison on averaged quantities.
