Formation of Single Charged Drops from a Laminar Water Jet in a Uniform Electric Field

Formation of single charged drops from a laminar water jet issuing from an electrified nozzle in a uniform electric field is studied for the systems of water-air, —cyclo—hexane, —hexane and —silicone oil. The wave number and the growth rate of the jet calculated from perturbation analysis are modified in order to use the analysis satisfactorily at the break-up point of the jet. The drop diameter is calculated by using the wave number and the growth rate. It is shown that the experimental drop diameters agree well (with in ± 10%) with the calculated ones for all systems. The jet length increases with the electric force when the viscosity of the continuous phase is low and the jet velocity at the tip is sufficiently high. The frequency of drop formation increases with the electric force when the former is high and the latter is sufficiently low. In these cases, the diameters of drops formed from the jet decrease by the electric force. © 1988, The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan. All rights reserved.