Influence of Agglomerates of Conducting Spheres on the Response of a Phase-Doppler Anemometer

The influence of agglomerates of solid conducting spheres on the response of a phase-Doppler anemometer (PDA) is described for a two-sphere system by using a ray theory model. First- and second-order reflection and diffraction are considered for far-field calculations of the PDA phase difference. The numerical simulations are accompanied and supported by experimental results. Two-sphere systems of Sn63Pb37 alloy particles were captured inside an electrodynamic trap and investigated with a standard phase-Doppler system.