Influence of the electrode geometries on ion-drag overpressure production

A research program aimed at a system for putting insulating fluids in motion without testing mechanical moving parts has been started at the Electrical Engineering Department of Genoa University. It deals with techniques of ion-drag pumping. The preliminary part of the program was directed at experimenting with different test assemblies to obtain hydrostatic pressure, varying the electrode geometry. The relevant experimental data are presented, showing the correlation betwen pressure variation and different quantities involved in the problem. The discussion hinges on the possible optimization of the test arrangement geometries and should give information on the influence of the physical quantities involved on the formation of hydrostatic pressure. In particular, the possible fitting of a model to link the measured pressure with theoretical laws proposed in the past to describe electrohydrodynamic phenomena is discussed. The first results confirmed the possibility of achieving pressure values which could be of interest in connection with developing an EHD pump for dielectric fluids