DROPLET CHARGE-TO-MASS RATIO MEASUREMENT IN AN EHD LIQUID-LIQUID-EXTRACTION SYSTEM

The application of a high voltage electric field to enhance the rate o f mass transfer in liquid-liquid extraction has been an active subject of investigation in recent Sears, The electrohydrodynamic (EHD) force s generated by electric fields at a liquid-liquid interface have a pot ential application in solvent extraction processes, In this work, the charge-to-mass ratio of droplets formed in an EHD liquid-liquid extrac tion system has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Th e results reported from the present investigation, extending from the single discrete droplet regime (at low applied voltages) to the disper sed multi-droplet regime (at high applied voltages), indicate that the modified Rayleigh instability model and Vonnegut and Neubauer model c an explain maximum droplet charge acquired in liquid-liquid systems, e specially the modified Vonnegut and Neubauer model which can predict m ost of the experimental results when the applied electric field is hig h enough and EHD forces become dominant.