Drop rebound in clouds and precipitation

The possibility of rebound for colliding cloud drops was measured by determining the collection efficiency. The collection efficiency for 17 size pairs of relatively uncharged drops in over 500 experimental runs was measured using two techniques. The collection efficiencies fall in a narrow range of 0.60 to 0.70 even though the collection drop was varied between 63 and 326 microns and the size ratio from 0.05 to 0.33. In addition the measured values of collection efficiencies (Epsilon) were below the computed values of collision efficiencies (E) for rigid spheres. Therefore it was concluded that rebound was occurring for these sizes since inferred coalescence (epsilon = Epsilon/E) efficiencies are about 0.6 yo 0.8. At a very small size ratio (r/R = p = 0.05, R = 326 microns) the coalescence efficiency inferred is in good agreement with the experimental findings for a supported collector drop. At somewhat large size ratios the inferred values of epsilon are well above results of supported drop experiments, but show a slight correspondence in collected drop size dependency to two models of drop rebound. At a large size ratio (p = 0.73, R = 275) the inferred coalescence efficiency is significantly different from all previous results.