Experimental Study of Pumping of Liquid Film With Electric Conduction Phenomenon

In electrohydrodynamics (EHD) conduction pumping, Coulomb force is the main driving force for fluid motion. The process of dissociation and recombination of electrolytic species produces heterocharge layers in the vicinity of electrodes. Asymmetric electrodes are used to arrange heterocharge layers to induce net motion in fluid. In this paper, EHD conduction pumping is experimentally studied with stratified liquid film in a channel. Liquid flow rate and the generated pressure are measured for different applied voltages and liquid film heights. Two different designs of electrode pairs, including flushed electrodes having virtually no drag force, are considered in this paper. Liquid pumping using EHD conduction phenomenon is significant for heat transfer and mass transport in thermal equipment of macro- and microsizes, in the presence and absence of gravity. This is particularly true for nonmechanical pumping of liquid film in phase change equipment.