The effects of electrical charge upon mass transfer from drops exhibiting interfacial turbulence

Abstract An experimental study of the effects of an applied electric field upon mass transfer from drops exhibiting interfacial turbulence was conducted. Water drops from which methyl isobutyl ketone was desorbing into air were seen to exhibit interfacial turbulence. An applied electric field was observed to decrease the turbulence as well as to reduce the desorption of the solute. Experiments were conducted with a variety of capillaries (18, 20, and 22 gauge hypodermic needles) and field strengths up to 4 Kv/cm such that the charged drop size and formation time were kept constant. The desorption efficiency was found to decrease with field strength up to a maximum reduction of 26-50% at the higher fields strengths. These results were comparable to those obtained with the addition of a nonionic surfactant.