THE ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC PLUME BETWEEN A LINE SOURCE OF IONS AND A FLAT-PLATE - THEORY AND EXPERIMENT

The electrohydrodynamic flow between a line source of ions and a flat plate due to an electric field acting on an injected space charge is examined both theoretically and experimentally. A number of simplifying assumptions (e.g. laminar flow, negligible diffusion of charge) are made such that the governing equations are tractable. The mathematical model used is taken from heat transfer analysis and the experimental results are very close to theoretical ones. With such encouraging agreement it may be possible to present a more formal analogy between electroconvective and natural convection flows, leading to a more precise definition of the role of each parameter involved, as well as indicating methods of analysis for EHD problems.