Convective stability of a weakly conducting liquid in an electric field

In an inhomogeneously heated weakly conductive liquid (electrical conductivity 10^–12–1 cm^–1) located in a constant electric field a volume charge is induced because of thermal inhomogeneity of electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity. The ponderomotive forces which develop set the liquid into intense motion [1–6]. However, under certain conditions equilibrium proves possible, and in that case the question of its stability may be considered. A theoretical analysis of liquid equilibrium stability in a planar horizontal condenser was performed in [2, 4]. Critical problem parameters were found for the case where Archimedean forces are absent [2]. Charge perturbation relaxation was considered instantaneous. It was shown that instability is of an oscillatory character. In [4] only heating from above was considered. Basic results were obtained in the limiting case of disappearingly small thermal diffusivity in the liquid (infinitely high Prandtl numbers). In the present study a more general formulation will be used to examine convective stability of equilibrium of a vertical liquid layer heated from above or below and located in an electric field. For the case of a layer with free thermally insulated boundaries, an exact solution is obtained. Values of critical Rayleigh number and neutral oscillation frequency for heating from above and below are found Neutral curves are constructed. It is demonstrated that with heating from below instability of both the oscillatory and monotonic types is possible, while with heating from above the instability has an oscillatory character. Values are found for the dimensionless field parameter at which the form of instability changes for heating from below and at which instability becomes possible for heating from above.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 16–23, September–October, 1976.In conclusion, the author thanks E. M. Zhukhovitskii for this interest in the study and valuable advice.     

Dynamics of electroconvective structures in a weakly conducting liquid

The finite-amplitude evolution of electroconvective structures in a weakly conducting liquid with an electroconductive charge formation mechanism is examined. The liquid is in the electrostatic field of a horizontally placed capacitor and is heated from below, and the electric charge time constant is much shorter than the characteristic hydrodynamic time. The interaction between the electroconductive convection and thermogravitational convection is considered. The evolution of the supercritical structures is investigated by direct numerical simulation using the finite-difference method. The bifurcations leading to the formation of stationary and wave liquid flows are analyzed. Nonlinear modes of stationary convection and traveling waves with different space-time patterns are identified and investigated. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 20–27, May–June, 2008.     

Electroconvective jets in liquid dielectrics

The principal feature of electroconvective jets in liquid dielectrics developing under the influence of a high-voltage external field is the large value of the EHD interaction parameter. This leads to the coupling of the hydrodynamic and electric problems. As formulated in [1, 2] the situation is reversed: the EHD interaction parameter is small. In these problems the interest is usually confined to finding the electric characteristics of the jet for a given velocity field. In [3] flows from sharp electrodes in liquid dielectrics were analyzed under two principal assumptions: nonlinear ohmic conductivity and point EHD interaction. This paper deals with the calculation of submerged electroconvective jets with ionic conductivity on the basis of the boundary-value problem formulated in [4]. In this case point EHD interaction is not assumed. It should be noted that in this formulation the problem is of practical as well as theoretical interest, for example, in connection with the problem of designing throttle EHD converters [5].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 13–19, November–December, 1984.     

Instability of a thermally inhomogeneous layer of weakly conducting liquid in an electric field

We give the results of a theoretical investigation of the hydrostatic stability of a plane horizontal layer of weakly conducting liquid for different constant temperatures and potentials on the thermally and electrically conducting capacitor plates bounding the layer. We found that the onset of electrothermal convection is of an oscillatory nature. The critical conditions for loss of stability were found.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 133–138, November–December, 1974.     

Absolute instability of a weakly conducting jet with current

The influence of current on the absolute instability of a capillary jet of nonviscous weakly conducting fluid is considered. A relation between the Weber and Alfven numbers that sets off regions of absolute and convective instability is obtained.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 179–182, July–August, 1995.     

Fibre spinning of a weakly elastic liquid

This paper presents a study of a silicone oil (poly(dimethyl siloxane)) in extensional deformation using an instrument developed recently by the authors. Data from steady shear and low amplitude sinusoidal deformation of this liquid clearly establish that it is weakly elastic. The viscometric data, for shear rates less than 100 s ⁻¹, are best represented by either the Maxwell model or the Jeffrey's model, the latter being marginally superior. The extensional data show that at low deformation rates, this fluid exhibits a Newtonian behavior with an apparent extensional viscosity equal to three times the shear viscosity. Under these conditions the velocity profiles along the spinline are also well represented by the Newtonian model. However, at higher deformation rates better predictions of the velocity profiles are obtained from the Jeffrey's and Maxwell models. At deformation rates above 100 s ⁻¹ none of these simple models is adequate. Under the conditions used in these experiments, the fractional increase in tensile stress along the fiber is shown both theoretically and experimentally to be a unique function of the total strain. Furthermore, the apparent extensional viscosity at any point on the spinline can be calculated from steady state expressions if allowance is made for the variation of stretch rates by defining a time averaged stretch rate.The results obtained here show that elasticity must be considered if these model liquids are used to conduct rheological experiments at high deformation rates. Additionally, it is found that elastic effects in extension can be predicted using simple constitutive equations provided viscometric data can be represented properly in the deformation rate range of interest. Finally, the present research further substantiates the utility of the extensional viscometer developed by the authors.     

Electrification of weakly conducting liquids in the neighborhood of a wall

The problem of the generation of an uncompensated electric space charge in weakly conducting viscous fluid channel flows in which the medium interacts electrochemically with an interface is investigated for an arbitrary relation between the mobilities of the charged particles of different kinds. New models of the electrochemical surface processes are considered. The effect of the parameters of these processes on the electrification current and on the time taken by the electric parameters of the medium is studied to reach saturation. The possibility of the generation of strong induced electric fields on the interface is justified theoretically, two basic parameters affecting the strength of these fields are determined, and an explanation of the discharge process observed in the experiments in the form of local fluid glow zones is proposed.     

Flow stability of a conducting liquid flowing down an inclined plane in the presence of a magnetic field

The stability of a steady flow of incompressible, conducting liquid down an inclined plane in the presence of longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields is studied. Solutions of the linearized magnetohydrodynamic equations with corresponding boundary conditions are found on the assumption that the Reynolds number R_g and the wave number are small. It is shown that the longitudinal magnetic field plays a stabilizing role. It is known [1] that the flow of a viscous liquid over a vertical wall is always unstable. In this article it is shown that the instability effect at small wave numbers may be eliminated if the longitudinal magnetic field satisfies the conditions found. The case when the Alfvén number and the wave number are small and the Reynolds number is finite is also examined.     

Steady-state wave flows of a weakly conducting gas in transverse electromagnetic fields

Gas flow in a MHD channel in transverse magnetic and electric fields is considered. The steady-state flows associated with the establishment of equilibrium between the hydraulic resistence and ponderomotive forces are investigated. The conditions of existence and the properties of such a steady-state flow regime are analyzed.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 123–129, July–August, 1990.     

Shape of an incompressible,weakly conducting jet in a strong electric field

Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 2, pp. 20–25, March–April, 1991.     

Internal rotation in the hydrodynamics of weakly conducting dielectric suspensions

Hydrodynamic phenomena in weakly conducting single-phase media due to interphase electric stresses are reviewed in [1]. In the present paper, a model is constructed of a dielectric suspension with body couples due to the field acting on free charges distributed on the surface of the particles of the suspension. Averaging of the microscopic fields yields macroscopic equations for the field and the polarization of the dielectric suspension with allowance for the finite relaxation time of the distribution of the free charge on the phase interface. The developed model is used to consider the occurrence of spontaneous rotation of a dielectric cylinder in a weakly conducting suspension in the presence of an electric field; compared with the case of single-phase media [2], this is characterized by a significant reduction in the threshold intensity of the electric field with increasing concentration of the particles [3]. In the present model of a dielectric suspension, the destabilization of the cylinder is due to the occurrence of rotations of the particles of the suspension due to the interaction between the polarization and the motion of the medium. The relaxation equation for the polarization for the given model is analogous to the corresponding equation for media which can be magnetized [4–6].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 86–93, March–April, 1980.     

Magnetohydrodynamic stability of heterogeneous dissipative conducting liquids

Summary This discussion which is restricted to the flow of heterogeneous, incompressible, inviscid and conducting liquids between two nonrotating coaxial cylinders is divided into three parts. In the first part the problem in question is investigated with an applied radial magnetic field. A sufficient condition for stability is found. In particular, if the steady flow velocity is uniform it is shown that the flow is always stable.In part two the stability of homogeneous viscous conducting fluids through two fixed coaxial cylinders with an applied radial magnetic field has been discussed. A sufficient condition for stability is derived and an upper bound for the amplification factor is given.In part three the problem in question is treated with an applied axial magnetic field. A sufficient condition for stability is given and some particular cases are investigated.     

Nonlinear magnetoacoustic waves in a conducting liquid containing gas bubbles

The propagation of long waves in an incompressible conducting liquid saturated with nonconducting gas bubbles is considered on the basis of the equations of magnetohydrodynamics of a homogeneous gas-liquid medium. It is shown that the propagation of weakly nonlinear MHD waves in such a medium is described by the Burgers-Korteweg-de Vries (BKdV) equation. The influence of MHD interaction effects on the parameters of fast and slow weak magnetoacoustic shock waves is investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 142–147, March–April, 1991.     

Thermal stability of a reactive liquid flow

Stability analysis of the solution of the system of differential partial equations describing the thermal state of a reactive liquid flow is based on reducing the infinite-dimensional problem to a finite-dimensional space containing the part of the solution that determines its stability. Within the framework of the projection method, the zero space of the corresponding generating operator is used as the finite-dimensional space. Generally, the zero space of the generating operator of the problem considered consists of its eigenfunctions. Analysis is performed for a combination of liquid-flow parameters such that the generating operator degenerates and to construct its zero space, it is necessary to use vectors generated by the Jordan chain. Calculation results are presented. Technological Institute, Altai State Technical University, Biisk 659305. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 130–137, March–April, 2000.     

Convective instability of a plane horizontal layer of weakly conducting fluid in alternating and modulated electric fields

The electrothermoconvective instability of a plane horizontal layer of weakly conducting fluid in a modulated vertical electric field is investigated. The analysis is based on the electrohydrodynamic approximation. The stability threshold in the linear approximation is found using Floquet’s theory. The effect of periodic modulation on the fluid behavior is studied in both the presence and the absence of the constant component of the electric field. It is shown that modulation can stabilize the unstable ground state or destabilize fluid equilibrium, depending on the amplitude and frequency. In addition to a synchronous or subharmonic response to an external forcing, the instability may be associated with two-frequency (quasiperiodic) perturbations. The cases of weightlessness and a transversely stratified fluid in a static gravity field are considered. Madrid, Perm’. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 31–38, May–June, 2000. The investigations whose results are presented in this paper were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 98-01-00507).