Modeling of the EHD effects on hydrodynamics and heat transfer within a flat miniature heat pipe including axial capillary grooves

A numerical model for an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) grooved Flat Miniature Heat Pipe (FMHP) is developed. Two microchannel shapes are considered as axial capillary structures: square and triangle grooves. For both groove shapes, the electric field affects the liquid-vapor radius of curvature which decreases in the condenser and increases in the evaporator under the action of the electric field. The liquid and vapor velocities are also affected by the EHD effects. The electric field effects on the velocities depend on the FMHP zone. It is also demonstrated that the electric field increases the vapor pressure drop; however, it decreases the liquid pressure drop. The liquid-wall and vapor-wall viscous forces as well as the shear liquid-vapor forces are affected by the electric field. The analysis of the electric forces shows that the dielectrophoretic forces which act on the liquid-vapor interface are predominant and their order of magnitude is much higher than the Coulomb forces. Finally, it is also demonstrated that the capillary limit increases with the electric field for both groove shapes.     

Pressure influence on the Stark effect of impurity states in a strained wurtzite GaN/AlxGa1-xN heterojunction

A variational method is adopted to investigate the properties of shallow impurity states near the interface in a free strained wurtzite GaN/AlxGa1-xN heterojunction under hydrostatic pressure and external electric field by using a simplified coherent potential approximation. Considering the biaxial strain due to lattice mismatch or epitaxial growth and the uniaxial strains effects, we investigated the Stark energy shift led by an external electric field for impurity states as functions of pressure as well as the impurity position, Al component and areal electron density. The numerical result shows that the binding energy near linearly increases with pressure from 0 to 10 GPa. It is also found that the binding energy as a function of the electric field perpendicular to the interface shows an un-linear red shift or a blue shift for different impurity positions. The effect of increasing x on blue shift is more significant than that on the red shift for the impurity in the channel near the interface. The pressure influence on the Stark shift is more obvious with increase of electric field and the distance between an impurity and the interface. The increase of pressure decreases the blue shift but increases the red shift.     

Instability of a spherical drop in the field of an electrical dipole

Analytical calculations show that, as a field in which an initially spherical charged conducting incompressible drop is placed becomes more and more nonuniform, coupling between the drop’s oscillation modes grows and the threshold of stability against the electrical field pressure declines. When an electrostatic parameter characterizing the electric field pressure exceeds a value that is critical for a certain mode to be unstable, the amplitude of this mode exponentially grows in an aperiodic manner and the amplitudes of modes coupled with this mode build up in an oscillatory manner, each mode having its own instability growth rate. In all cases, there exists a threshold value of the dimensionless electric parameter above which all oscillation modes are unstable.     

Capillary oscillations and stability of a charged drop rotating about the axis of symmetry

The stability of a charged conductive liquid drop rotating about the axis of symmetry against the pressure of the self-charge electric field and inertial force pressure is investigated in an approximation linear in oscillation amplitude and square of the spheroidal drop deformation eccentricity. It is found that the axisymmetric modes of the rotating drop are stable. Only nonaxisymmetric modes with azimuthal numbers maximal for a given mode may be unstable. The Coriolis force plays a stabilizing role.     

Downstream Conditions in a Constricted ARC with Radial Injection

The thermal, flow and electrical conditions are presented for the downstream portion of an argon arc with local fluid constriction. The arc is initially wall-stabilized in a 10 mm diameter water-cooled constrictor and at some point after flow becomes fully developed the arc is constricted by a radial inward jet. The redevelopment of the flow downstream of the injection slot is investigated by measurements of the pressure drop, wall heat flux and electric field. It is observed that redevelopment proceeds roughly as predicted by classical theory. Measurements of the electric field indicate that the region of maximum constriction is limited in extent.     

Surface tension of an electrolyte-air interface: a Monte Carlo study

We present a new method for calculating the surface tension of an electrolyte-air interface using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations with an implicit solvent in a spherical drop geometry. The boundary conditions for the electric field at the interface are accounted for using image and counter-image charges. The density profiles obtained from the simulations are used to calculate the excess surface tension of the electrolyte-air interface using the Gibbs adsorption isotherm equation. The results are found to be in good agreement with experiments and the earlier theoretical calculations.     

Forces and charges on a slightly deformed droplet in the DC field of a plate condenser

A conducting drop in partial wetting on the lower electrode of a plate condenser and surrounded by a dielectric fluid is considered. When a DC field is applied the drop, acquiring electric charges, is subjected to an electrostatic force normal to the electrode. The force exerted on undeformable drops was previously calculated. In this paper, the distortion from a spherical shape is asymptotically calculated at low electric Bond numbers to generalize previous developments. A mechanism is proposed to explain the drop detachment, leading to an electrical field strength threshold. Some experiments were performed confirming the mechanism.     

Local enhancement of a uniform electrostatic field near the tip of a spheroidal drop

The enhancement in a uniform electrostatic field at the tip of a spheroidal drop is shown to depend on the dielectric constant of the drop material, its initial radius, and the external electric field and to become greater as these increase. The loss of stability of a drop in an external electrostatic field that is accompanied by a very rapid growth in the magnitude of the spheroidal deformation causes a rapid, transient enhancement of the field at its tip. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 49–54 (August 1999)     

Orientational instability in a nematic liquid crystal in a decaying Poiseuille flow

The results of studies of orientational dynamics and instability in an MBBA nematic liquid crystal in a decaying Poiseuille flow are considered. The experiments were made on a wedge cell with a gap width varying in a direction perpendicular to the flow. Confining surfaces ensured homeotropic adhesion of the nematic to the surface. Above a certain critical value of the initial pressure drop, a uniform orientational instability is observed, which corresponds to the emergence of the director from the plane of the flow. The dependence of the critical pressure drop on the local thickness of the liquid crystal layer and on the external destabilizing electric field is determined. Simulation of nematodynamics equations is carried out. The results of theoretical calculations are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental data.     

Increase in the molecular component of the adhesive pressure in polymer composites induced by electric charge

The effect of electric charge, present at a glass fiber–polymer interface during the composite material formation, on the adhesive pressure between the components was studied. Additional electric charge was delivered to the interface by means of the deposition of charged polymer particles onto the fiber surface from a fluidized bed in an electric field. The adhesive pressure was calculated using the results of the variational mechanics analysis by Scheer and Nairn from the data obtained with a single fiber microbond test. Our experiments showed that the adhesive pressure increased by 15–20% in the case of charged polymer matrices. This can be attributed to both intensification of van der Waals forces due to extra interfacial pressure and, for polar polymers, the increase of the surface concentration of local adhesive bonds. The mechanical and kinetic models have been proposed to describe the observed behavior of the adhesive pressure; theoretical curves for the adhesive pressure as a function of the time and temperature of the contact formation, including the effect of electric factors, have been obtained. From the kinetic model, the activation energies for the process of adhesive contact formation were determined. The effect of acceleration of adhesive bonding in the presence of electric charge can be explained in terms of a decrease of the activation energy for local bond formation in an electric field.     

The influence of interface modifier on photodetachment of negative ions in an electric field near a metal surface

Based on closed-orbit theory,the influence of an interface modifier on the photodetachment of H- in an electric field near a metal surface is studied.It is demonstrated that the interface strengthens the oscillations in the photodetachment cross section.However,when the electric field environments are different,the strengthening oscillations are caused by different sources.When the electric field direction is upward,the interface enhances the oscillations by shortening the period and the action of the closed orbit.When the electric field direction is downward,the interface strengthens the oscillations either by extending the coherent energy range or by increasing the total number of the closed orbits.We hope that our results will be conducive to the understanding of the photodetachment process of negative ions near interfaces,cavities and ion traps.     

Electric charge of a lightning ball

The electric charge of a lightning ball is found by comparing the electrohydrodynamic stabilities of a charged drop in an electrostatic suspension and a lightning ball floating in a superposition of the gravitational field and the surface electric field. It has been assumed that the electric field strength at the surface is limited by a breakdown value. For a lightning ball radius of 15 cm, its charge is estimated as several microcoulombs. Accordingly, the density of electrostatic energy accumulated in the lightning ball is on the order of one-hundredth of a joule per square centimeter. The density of the material that constitutes the lightning ball has been estimated for the case when the electric field strength at the site of its origination is several times higher than that in fine weather. The density of the lightning ball turns out to differ from that of air by only a few percents.     

导电突扩管中磁流体管流的数值模拟

采用基于OpenFOAM环境自主开发的低磁雷诺数磁流体求解器,对45°和90°突扩矩形管中液态金属流体在受到垂直流向的外加磁场作用时的速度、感应电流、压力的分布及突扩位置处的MHD三维现象进行数值模拟.结果表明：磁场沿突扩方向时,由于无回流涡,45°比90°突扩管在肩部位置速度分布更优.哈特曼数增大,强射流和突扩结构,在突扩肩部位置引发流动的不稳定性.伴随感应电流的不稳定,流动不稳定发展到突扩位置上游.磁场沿垂直突扩方向时感应电流的三维效应显著.哈特曼数增大,MHD压降显著增大.同方向磁场和相同哈特曼数,不同突扩角度的三维无量纲压力梯度无明显差异.     

Capillary oscillations of a drop in an electric field

The capillary oscillations of a conducting spheroidal drop with small eccentricity in an electric field are studied. The effect of the electric field is to lower the natural frequencies of oscillations and the damping coefficient.     

Transport theory for quantum wells with an electric field across the well: a new concept for a transistor

The transport properties of a two-dimensional electron gas in a quantum well with infinite barriers and with an electric field across the well as perturbation is calculated for zero temperature. Background impurity doping, remote impurity doping and interface roughness scattering are considered. The effects which are linear in the electric field are calculated. We suggest an experiment to measure the differences in the interface roughness scattering at the two interfaces of the quantum well by the electric field effect. We also discuss a possible device application of the field effect and describe a transistor working at the metal-insulator transition.     

Monodisperse drop formation in square microchannels

The electrohydrodynamic instability of the interface between two liquids with different physical and electrical properties in plane Poiseuille flow is used to form monodisperse droplets in a square channel. The drop size and formation rate are controlled by simply controlling the flow rates and the amplitude of the electric field applied across the channel.     

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.     

Field extraction of ions from liquid solutions with the use of polymer track membranes

The general principles of the electric field assisted ion evaporation in the membrane ion source are considered. In the ion source, the liquid sample under investigation is placed in narrow channels of a polymer track membrane, which separates the liquid sample at atmospheric pressure from the vacuum chamber. Stability of the liquid at strong electric fields is provided by a choice of the diameters of channels and the liquid–polymer contact angle. The electric charge on the vacuum–polymer interface is of great importance for creation of the strong electric field near the liquid–vacuum interface. Such a conclusion is made from the computations of the electric field in the framework of the model developed. The mechanism of the electric field assisted evaporation of ions is discussed to explain the observed mass spectra for the ions extracted from liquid.     

Adhesive emulsion bilayers under an electric field: from unzipping to fusion

Water-in-oil emulsion drops are formed and stabilized with phospholipids which can adhere and form a bilayer. Using microfluidics, adhesive drop pairs are then trapped and submitted to an ac electric field. We observe three distinct states as a function of the adhesion energy and the electric field intensity. The pair can be either stable, though slightly deformed, or unzip and separate, or coalesce. The frontiers between the different states directly reflect vesicle detachment forces and electroporation theories. The experimental approach that we propose for probing liquid interface wetting between monolayers allows us to finely tuned the tension in the bilayer and gives access to bilayer unzipping.     

Self-consistent hybrid model for a stratified positive column of a low pressure glow discharge

The stratification of a positive column of a low-pressure glow discharge in inert gases has been studied with the help of a self-consistent hybrid model. The model is based on the solution of a nonlocal kinetic Boltzmann equation for the electron distribution function, a nonstationary drift-diffusion equation for the ions, and the Poisson equation for the electric field. Spatial electron and ion density distributions and the electric field distribution in the positive column were obtained. The converged solution of the model gives a self-consistent resonant strata length L and the value and the form of the modulated plasma parameters. An unexpected surprising result was obtained: for a given potential drop in the positive column of a low-pressure glow discharge, a self-consistent spatially modulated striation-like electric field does not lead to the resonant increasing of the ionization frequencies in the discharge as compared with a constant electric field with the same potential drop. Usually, it was assumed that, in spatially modulated field distributions, all the parameters in a striated plasma will be more pronounced and have a resonant form. The text was submitted by the authors in English.