Charge-density limitation in electrofluid dynamic power generation

The effects of the presence of shielding electrodes on the electric fields in electrofluid dynamic (EFD) generator channels are studied. For each case studied, the magnitude of the field distortion is found as the ratio of the maximum electric field to the undisturbed maximum field. The electric-field magnification is derived as a function of both the relative size and sharpness of the protruding electrode and the relative size of the charge cloud. A charge-density attenuation coefficient is defined as the inverse of the electric-field magnification.