EFFECTS OF ELECTROSTATIC FORCE RELATIVE HUMIDITY HEATING SURFACE TEMPERATURE AND SIZE AND SHAPE ON DROPLET EVAPORATION RATE

An empirical comparison was made between the evaporation rates of film boiling droplets with and without applied electrostatic voltage. Only small increases were observed and this compared favorably with the prediction of a simple parallel plate capacitor model. Qualitative descriptions based on empirical observations of the effects of liquid-solid contact, arcing, and forced convection inside the droplet on heat flow are given. Information concerning droplet shape as a function of volume is important for the prediction of droplet evaporation rates. A semi-empirical correlation is presented which fits the rate data in the spheroidal regime within 15%. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.