Dynamics of Water Droplet Distortion and Breakup in a Uniform Electric Field

Distortion of a free droplet in a uniform electric field is studied numerically using the boundary element method. It is assumed that the droplet is made of an ideally conducting liquid. There exists a critical magnitude of the electric field intensity. The droplet oscillates for weaker electric fields and elongates until a thin jet emanating from the droplet tip is formed for stronger electric fields. Numerical predictions agree reasonably well with the available experimental data.

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