The effect of charge mode transition on electrohydrodynamic flow in a multistage negative air corona discharge

We study the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow induced by a multistage negative air corona discharge with two main subjects: unipolar-to-bipolar charge mode transition, mechanism of EHD flow. Charge mode transition is identified through the maximum-current-based numerical analysis of a six-stage cylindrical ionic wind generator, and confirmed by the experimental data. After formulating the degree of charge mode transition ?, we discuss how ? affects the electric-to-kinetic energy conversion efficiency and the thrust performance of the EHD flow. We suggest 35?Td of reduced electric field on the collector surface as the occurrence criterion of charge mode transition. As an essential feature of the multistage EHD flow, the highest negative pressure is created in the intake. Accordingly, air is drawn into the intake and subsequent flow climbs up a positive static pressure slope, and exhausted into the atmosphere with a high linearity. We explain the physical mechanism of this interesting flow pattern using the first-principle based analysis.

[1]  Jungho Hwang,et al.  Velocity and energy conversion efficiency characteristics of ionic wind generator in a multistage configuration , 2010 .

[2]  A. A. Martins.  Simulation of a wire-cylinder-plate positive corona discharge in nitrogen gas at atmospheric pressure , 2012, 1202.4613.

[3]  A. Napartovich,et al.  The influence of electrode geometry and gas flow on corona-to-glow and glow-to-spark threshold currents in air , 2001 .

[4]  Majid Molki,et al.  Enhancement of convective heat transfer in the developing region of circular tubes using corona wind , 2004 .

[5]  Hiroyuki Kawamoto,et al.  Electrostatic micro-ozone fan that utilizes ionic wind induced in pin-to-plate corona discharge system , 2008 .

[6]  W. Shockley.  Currents to Conductors Induced by a Moving Point Charge , 1938 .

[7]  A. Fruchtman,et al.  Enhancement of electric force by ion-neutral collisions , 2009 .

[8]  Jen-Shih Chang,et al.  Flow characteristics of dc wire-non-parallel plate electrohydrodynamic gas pumps , 2008 .

[9]  H. Bondar,et al.  Effect of neutral fluid velocity on direct conversion from electrical to fluid kinetic energy in an electro-fluid-dynamics (EFD) device , 1986 .

[10]  R. S. Sigmond.  Simple approximate treatment of unipolar space‐charge‐dominated coronas: The Warburg law and the saturation current , 1982 .

[11]  R. S. Sigmond.  The unipolar corona space charge flow problem , 1986 .

[12]  M. Rickard,et al.  Maximizing ion-driven gas flows , 2006 .

[13]  Kwang-Chul Noh,et al.  Electric propulsion using an alternating positive/negative corona discharge configuration composed of wire emitters and wire collector arrays in air , 2011 .

[14]  D. Colás,et al.  Ionic wind generation by a wire-cylinder-plate corona discharge in air at atmospheric pressure , 2010 .

[15]  Lin Zhao,et al.  EHD flow in air produced by electric corona discharge in pin–plate configuration , 2005 .

[16]  Eric Moreau,et al.  Airflow control by non-thermal plasma actuators , 2007 .

[17]  F. Pontiga,et al.  Numerical simulation of an oxygen-fed wire-to-cylinder negative corona discharge in the glow regime , 2011 .

[18]  H. Kawamoto,et al.  Electrohydrodynamic deformation of water surface in a metal pin to water plate corona discharge system , 2005 .

[19]  P. S. Moller,et al.  Ion-Neutral Propulsion in Atmospheric Media , 1967 .

[20]  Timothy I.J. Goodenough,et al.  The efficiency of corona wind drying and its application to the food industry , 2007 .

[21]  S. Ramo.  Currents Induced by Electron Motion , 1939, Proceedings of the IRE.

[22]  Modelling wire-to-wire corona discharge action on aerodynamics and comparison with experiment , 2008 .

[23]  Alexander Mamishev,et al.  Miniaturization of Electrostatic Fluid Accelerators , 2007 .

[24]  Haim Kalman,et al.  Experimental optimization of an electric blower by corona wind , 2002 .

[25]  Numerical simulation and experimental study of the corona and glow regime of a negative pin-to-plate discharge in flowing ambient air , 2004 .

[26]  Hui Zhang,et al.  A general empirical formula of current–voltage characteristics for point-to-plane geometry corona discharges , 2008 .

[27]  Microscopic energy conversion process in the ion drift region of electrohydrodynamic flow , 2012 .

[28]  Kwang-Chul Noh,et al.  Numerical Investigation of Corona Plasma Region in Negative Wire-to-duct Corona discharge , 2010 .

[29]  Qiaogen Zhang,et al.  Experimental Study on the Velocity and Efficiency Characteristics of a Serial Staged Needle Array-Mesh Type EHD Gas Pump , 2011 .

[30]  William K. Thompson,et al.  An Investigation of Ionic Wind Propulsion , 2009 .