Electrohydrodynamic simulator investigations

Free-surface electrohydrodynamic (EHD) fluid flow has been widely studied on an experimental basis, while theoretical and simulation studies in this area is much less widespread due to the complex nature of the phenomenon. In this paper, a commercial computational fluid dynamic code is coupled with a finite difference method at the electrostatic-fluid flow interface, and the dynamics of free-surface EHD fluid flow are investigated in five simulation “experiments”. The configurations investigated include (i) a flat, conducting fluid surface in a uniform electric field, (ii) dielectrophoretic fluid rise between electrified plates, (iii) the breakup of a charged cylinder, (iv) dielectric fluid flow in an electrostatics nozzle, and (v) the formation and breakup of an electrified conducting two-dimensional jet. The simulation experiments accurately replicate known analytical solutions in the first three investigations, and for the last two studies where analytic solutions are not available, our simulations agree in a qualitative manner with other research investigations.