Direct numerical simulation of forced flow dielectric EHD within charge injection atomizers

John Shrimpton*, Agissilaos Kourmatzis

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A charge injection atomizer functions by introducing electric charge discharged from a high voltage electrode into a dielectric liquid, which subsequently atomizes the ejected liquid jet. Atomizer evolution thus far has proceeded through trial and error analysis of the experimentally measured electrical characteristics of the atomizer and of the quality of atomization. Within the atomizer, a coupled space charge and electric field exist, which can alter the internal flow pattern, thus creating electrohydrodynamic (EHD) instabilities that affect atomizer operation. Such a system has not been simulated in the past under forced flow conditions. In this work we simulate the internal flow of such a charge injection device in two dimensions; using experimental based boundary conditions. Initial results indicate that in the linear injection regime defined by the experimental data, the flow is only slightly unstable but in the transitional and highly non-linear regimes, the coupled space charge and electric field produce more instability in the liquid that must be investigated further.

Original languageEnglish
Article number5658236
Pages (from-to)1838-1845
Number of pages8
JournalIEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation
Volume17
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2010
Externally publishedYes

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