The shape of a drop in a constant electric field

The variation of the shape of a drop immersed in an immiscible liquid under the action of an electric field is calculated. The charge is transferred both by ohmic current through the interface and by the convective component over the interface. A solution quadratic in the parameter that is the ratio of the electric pressure to the capillary pressure is analyzed. Conditions where the drop transforms into a spheroid that is prolate or oblate along the electric field vector are found. An experimental study of the drop deformation by electric forces is carried out.     

Boiling heat transfer of refrigerant R-21 in upward flow in plate-fin heat exchanger

The article presents the results of experimental investigation of boiling heat transfer of refrigerant R-21 in upward flow in a vertical plate-fin heat exchanger with transverse size of the channels that is smaller than the capillary constant. The heat transfer coefficients obtained in ranges of small mass velocities and low heat fluxes, which are typical of the industry, have been poorly studied yet. The characteristic patterns of the upward liquid-vapor flow in the heat exchanger channels and the regions of their existence are detected. The obtained data show a weak dependence of heat transfer coefficient on equilibrium vapor quality, mass flow rate, and heat flux density and do not correspond to calculations by the known heat transfer models. A possible reason for this behavior is a decisive influence of evaporation of thin liquid films on the heat transfer at low heat flux.     

Dielectrophoresis flow control in microchannels

The control of flow in microscale is one of the most important problems in microfluidic devices, which in particular, are used as micro heat exchangers. The use of electric field is one of the efficient methods of control of dielectric liquid flow in microscale. The electric field influences liquid flow by the EHD force which affects liquid behaviour in terms of the flow rate and pressure.The EHD force consists of three components: the first is the electrostatic force due to free charges present in the liquid, the next one is the force due to the gradient of permittivity of material, and the third one is caused by the change in the electric field intensity.The EHD force is used also in many commercial devices, for example EHD pumps or dielectrophoretic separators. An own approach to apply the EHD force to control the liquid flow rate is presented in this paper. Authors paid a close attention to the dielectrophoresis effect. Dielectric liquid in a non-uniform electric field tends to drift/migrate towards the region of high electric field intensity. With decreasing the electrode dimensions, the dielectrophoresis force becomes relatively stronger. For the dimensions under 400 μm the dielectrophoresis phenomenon can be used for control and actuation of the liquid flow in microchannels. The originally developed design of such flow controller is presented in this paper. The experimental investigations covered flow rate measurement of 2-propanol in microchannel flow controller with application of AC field. It was showed that the dielectrophoresis phenomenon could effectively control the flow. The results for distilled water are also comparatively discussed in the paper.     

Lattice Boltzmann equation method in electrohydrodynamic problems

A consistent lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) model for simulating different electrohydrodynamic (EHD) phenomena is developed. The model includes fluid dynamics, electric charge transport via advection and conduction currents, and action of electric forces upon space charges in liquid. Problems with different thermodynamic phases (liquid and gaseous) and phase transitions, and with inhomogeneous and density-dependent electric permittivity and conductivity can also be simulated, as well as charge injection and recombination. Deformations and breakup of conductive vapor bubbles, bubble deformation due to electrostriction, dynamics of drops with different electric permittivity were simulated. Simulations show the great potential of the method especially for problems with free boundaries (systems with vapor bubbles and multiple components with different electric properties).     

Mechanism of electrohydrodynamically induced flow in a wire-non-parallel plate electrode type gas pump

An experimental investigation and one-dimensional modeling have been conducted to study the mechanism of net flow direction induced by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) forces in a wire-non-parallel plate electrode type EHD gas pump. The experiments were conducted with various different locations of corona wire electrode for negative and positive applied voltage from 0 to 14 kV at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, where air was used as the working fluid. A one-dimensional cross-sectional averaged model based on mass and momentum conservation as well as Poisson electric field and ion transport equations was also developed. The results show that the net flow direction of electrohydrodynamically induced gas flow in a wire-non-parallel plate electrode system significantly depends on the location of the corona wire electrode relative to the grounded electrode position. The effect of conversion angle of non-parallel plate electrode on the net flow direction and pressure drop also was investigated and discussed in detail.     

Instability of a charged spherical viscous drop moving relative to a medium

It is shown that, as the velocity of the flow around a charged drop of viscous liquid increases the drop charge value critical for the occurrence of drop instability rapidly decreases. It is found that, for some domains of values of the charge, the ratio of densities of the media, and the ambient velocity, the even and odd modes of the drop capillary oscillations pairwise couple with each other, which represents drop vibrational instability against the tangential discontinuity of the velocity field at the drop surface. At medium velocities larger than those associated with such domains, the instability growth rates for odd modes exceed the increments of even modes with smaller orders, which corresponds to the parachute-like deformation of the drop in the flow.     

New phase nucleation in electric fields

The formation of vapor bubbles in a superheated liquid or of liquid drops in a superheated vapor in a uniform electric field and at a charged center is considered. The work done for the formation of drops as well as their critical size decrease in all cases. The critical size of bubbles always increases, while the work decreases at a charged center and in a uniform field. An explanation is offered for the results of experiments on the initiation of boiling of a superheated liquid by electric field pulses.     

方波电泳电场驱动下液膜马达的电致流动特征

液膜马达作为一种新颖的实验装置在基础研究和技术应用方面都将会发挥着重要的作用, 深入研究各种条件下液膜马达的电致流动特征是非常有意义的. 本文从理论上研究了均匀恒定外电场中的液膜马达在方波电泳电场驱动下的动力学特征, 解析地给出了液膜转动的线速度随时空变化的规律. 理论结果表明, 液膜会随着电泳电场频率的增大由对称性往复转动逐渐转变为振动, 这不仅有助于从理论上认识液膜马达振动的物理根源, 也为在实际应用中设计液膜搅拌机提供了一种新思路.     

Capillary pressure and contact line force on a soft solid

The surface free energy, or surface tension, of a liquid interface gives rise to a pressure jump when the interface is curved. Here we show that a similar capillary pressure arises at the interface of soft solids. We present experimental evidence that immersion of a thin elastomeric wire into a liquid induces a substantial elastic compression due to the solid capillary pressure at the bottom. We quantitatively determine the effective surface tension from the elastic displacement field and find a value comparable to the liquid-vapor surface tension. Most importantly, these results also reveal the way the liquid pulls on the solid close to the contact line: the capillary force is not oriented along the liquid-air interface, nor perpendicularly to the solid surface, as previously hypothesized, but towards the interior of the liquid.     

On the possibility of corona initiation at the surface of a liquid layer nonlinearly oscillating on the surface of a charged hailstone placed in a uniform electrostatic field

An expression for the electric field strength near a watered hailstone is derived in an approximation quadratic in the amplitude of capillary oscillations of a charged conducting liquid layer covering the hailstone. As the number of the mode governing the initial deformation of the equilibrium spherical free surface of the liquid layer increases and its thickness decreases, the electric field strength in the neighborhood of the capillary wave crests rises. Even in the case of small charges and low electric fields, the electric field near the hailstone is high enough to initiate a corona.     

高温超导电缆用波纹管内液氮流动特性的数值研究

随着超导技术的发展,高温超导电缆在电力输运中逐渐得到重视并进行了广泛的研究。由于波纹管具有良好的柔韧性和收缩性,在高温超导电缆中作为杜瓦放置电缆,冷却超导体用的液氮需流经波纹管。在系统设计中,需要对液氮在波纹管中的流动特性加以了解。为了研究液氮在波纹管内的流动特性,对其进行了数值计算及理论分析。分析表明:压力损失随入口速度的增大而增大;在波纹内形成了涡旋流;在所考察的雷诺数范围内,雷诺数对摩擦系数的影响不大,而波纹尺寸对摩擦系数具有主要的影响。摩擦系数随s/t的增大而减小。。     

Numerical simulations of electro-thermo-convection and heat transfer in 2D cavity

In this article the electro-thermo-convective phenomena in a dielectric liquid enclosed in a 2D cavity and subjected to the simultaneous action of an electric field and a thermal gradient is studied. We solved directly the full set of coupled equations of Electro-Hydro-Dynamic (EHD) and energy equation using a finite volume method. In order to characterize the influence of the electric field on heat transfer the liquid is first heated (from a lateral wall) till the thermal steady state is obtained and then the electric potential and injection of electric charge is applied. Two cases of injection are considered: from the lower electrode and from a lateral wall (left or right). The flow pattern and Nusselt number strongly depend on the non-dimensional characteristic parameters: electrical parameter, Rayleigh number, Prandtl number and mobility parameter M. The convective motion passing from a purely thermal convection to a purely electrical convection and the number of electro-thermo-convective rolls patterns are investigated.As a consequence of the analysis of the combined effect of electric and thermal fields on the flow structure and on Nusselt number, we have also evaluated the heat transfer enhancement due to electroconvection. It is shown that the injection of electric charge increases the heat transfer and Nusselt number is independent of Rayleigh number for high enough values of T.     

汽液界面热毛细波的分子动力学模拟

用分子动力学模拟方法研究汽液界面性质,在NVT系综中,以氩原子为对象,对长方形模拟盒中汽液平衡系统进行不同温度下的模拟计算。计算结果表明,汽液界面存在热毛细波。界面上的热涨落将使界面变宽,它不仅与界面张力有关,还与温度、界面的横截面积有关。可以把汽液界面上热毛细波的均分根涨落值,作为汽液界面的宽度和粗糙度的指标。     

On nonlinear periodic capillary-fluctuation wave flow in a thin liquid film on a solid substrate

Analytical calculation of a nonlinear periodic wave flow on the free surface of a charged layer of an ideal incompressible conducting liquid resting on a solid substrate is carried out for the case when fluctuation-induced forces (the dispersion component of the wedging pressure) have a decisive effect on the system. It is shown that wave flows emerge in the liquid in calculations of the second order of smallness in the wave amplitude, which is assumed to be small compared with the thickness of the liquid layer. These flows result from nonlinear interaction as nonlinear corrections to the waves set at the zero time. The field of fluctuation-induced forces displaces these flows toward the periphery of the area of influence of these forces. This effect takes place both in the presence of an external electric field near the free surface and in its absence. The sign and value of the nonlinear corrections depend on whether an electric field is present near the free surface of the liquid. In the presence of an electric field, the curvature of the crest of the nonlinear waves increases; in its absence, the curvature decreases.     

Capillary Forces between Submillimeter Spheres and Flat Surfaces at Constant Liquid Volumes

We investigate the capillary forces between submillimeter spheres and flat surfaces at constant liquid volumes theoretically and experimentally. An iterative method is used to estimate the capillary force with contact angles as the boundary conditions and the constant volume as a constraint. The theoretical analysis shows that the maximum capillary force between them decreases with the increase of the liquid bridge volume at small contact angles. The experimental results show that the force is smaller than the theoretical values at the initial separation distances. It is also observed that the force first increases and then decreases with an increasing separation distance in some cases. These phenomena of capillary forces hysteresis are explained according to the wetting hysteresis.     

Description of evaporation of a spherical liquid drop by a non-Markovian random process based on integral stochastic equations

Processes of evaporation (condensation) of vapor particles from the surface of a spherical drop and processes of their diffusion into surrounding volume are considered. Special features of evaporation are investigated taking into account vapor particle fluctuations caused by random changes in the temperature, concentration, etc. Statistical characteristics of fluctuations of the corresponding quantities, including the mass flow through the liquid-vapor boundary and concentration on the liquid surface, are presented. The distribution of completely evaporated drop number versus time is presented.     

On the parametric excitation of electrothermal instability in a dielectric liquid layer using an alternating electric field

The onset of electrothermal convective instability of a liquid dielectric subjected to an unsteady electric field is studied in the EHD approximation, when charge formation is produced only due to dielectrophoresis. Convective thresholds are found in two different cases: (i) instability of the liquid equilibrium in a horizontal layer, and (ii) instability of the liquid flow in a vertical layer. The stability boundaries are obtained when there is interaction of dielectrophoretic and gravitational forces. Stability plots of electrical Rayleigh number versus thermal Rayleigh number are given. We show that only synchronous response to variations of the external electric field of finite frequency exists when heating a horizontal layer from above. Quasiperiodic response to the external alternating action is possible in the case of a vertical layer. The influence of the Prandtl number on the stability thresholds is also examined. The asymptotic behavior of the critical parameters in the limiting case of low-frequency modulation is studied using the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin method.     

The use of enhanced surface in flow boiling heat transfer in a rectangular minichannel

The results of flow boiling heat transfer in a 1-mm-deep vertical minichannel are presented. The heating element for an FC-72 laminar flow in a minichannel is a single-sided enhanced foil with various depressions; liquid crystal thermography was used for measuring temperature distribution of the foil. The void fraction and vapor quality were determined for some cross-sections of two-phase flow images. Results presented in the form of boiling curves were analyzed. Both typical and untypical shapes of boiling curves were found. The suitability of classical methods of two-phase pressure drop determination using experimental verification was confirmed.     

带通道插件管道流磁流体动力学效应的数值模拟

采用二维完全发展流模型对聚变反应堆包层带通道插件和压力平衡槽隙的矩形磁流体管流的MHD效应进行数值模拟,分析速度分布,MHD压降随哈德曼数以及通道插件的电导率的变化规律.与无插件磁流体管流相比,带绝缘通道插件管流MHD压降显著降低,MHD压降随哈德曼数的增加而减小,通道插件材料的电导率增加MHD压降系数减小.压力平衡槽隙处的回流与通道插件的电导率有关.在宏观上计算结果与实验结果和简化理论结果一致.     

A ghost fluid,level set methodology for simulating multiphase electrohydrodynamic flows with application to liquid fuel injection

In this paper, we present the development of a sharp numerical scheme for multiphase electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flows for a high electric Reynolds number regime. The electric potential Poisson equation contains EHD interface boundary conditions, which are implemented using the ghost fluid method (GFM). The GFM is also used to solve the pressure Poisson equation. The methods detailed here are integrated with state-of-the-art interface transport techniques and coupled to a robust, high order fully conservative finite difference Navier–Stokes solver. Test cases with exact or approximate analytic solutions are used to assess the robustness and accuracy of the EHD numerical scheme. The method is then applied to simulate a charged liquid kerosene jet.