INFLUENCE OF PARTICLE ORIENTATION ON THE EFFECTIVE ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE AND OHMIC HEATING RATE OF A LIQUID-PARTICLE MIXTURE

The ohmic heating rate of a liquid-particle mixture is expected to depend on particle orientation. A mathematical model was developed to determine the extent of orientation dependence for the case of a cubic particle. The particle and liquid resistances were determined by taking incremental sections through the particle and using the electrical conductivity to calculate the effective resistance. Modeling and experimental results indicate that for a cubic particle, orientation effects are slight; both with regard to effective resistance and heating time. However, this result is not expected to apply to particles of large aspect ratios.