Experimental and numerical investigation of corona discharge induced flow on a flat plate

An electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow induced by planar corona discharge in near wall region is investigated experimentally and via a multiphysics computational model. The EHD device consists of two electrodes flush mounted on the insulating surface to create an airflow along the plate. The applied voltage and distance between the electrodes are varied and the resulting effects in the charge density and flow field are measured. The airflow near the wall acts a jet and it reaches a maximum of 3m/s. The velocity decreases sharply as we move vertically from the plate. Away from the cathode, the peak velocity dissipates and it displays a Blasius profile. Multiphysics numerical model couples ion transport equation and the Navier Stokes equations to solve for the spatiotemporal distribution of electric field, charge density and flow field. The numerical results match experimental data shedding new insights into mass, charge and momentum transport phenomena. The EHD driven flow can be applied to the design of novel particle collectors and efficient removal of particles from surfaces.