Innovative electrode designs for electrohydrodynamic conduction pumping

In the absence of a direct charge injection, pumping of an isothermal liquid can be achieved through the charges associated with the heterocharge layers of finite thickness in the vicinity of the electrodes. These charges are based on the process of dissociation of a neutral electrolytic species and recombination of the generated ions. This type of pumping is referred to as electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction pumping. The EHD conduction pumping mechanism is experimentally investigated with four innovative electrode designs, with refrigerant R-123 as the working fluid in this paper. Specifically two different types of perforated disks and two different types of porous disks are used as the high voltage electrode while a ring is used as the common ground electrode for the four designs. Pressures up to approximately 1400 Pa (at 18.5 kV potential with 0.23 W of power consumption) are generated with one electrode pair. Such pressure generations make the EHD conduction pumping attractive to certain applications in the presence and absence of gravity, such as capillary pumped loops and heat pipes.