SPRAYING FINE FLUID PARTICLES IN INSULATING FLUID SYSTEMS BY ELECTROSTATIC POLARIZATION FORCES

It is experimentally demonstrated that electrostatic polarization forc es can in principle be utilized in generating fine bubbles and droplet s, despite the lack of charge carriers that have traditionally been th ought to be necessary for successful electrostatic spraying. Under the condition that the permittivity of the dispersed phase is lower than that of the continuous phase, such as when gas bubbles are sprayed int o insulating liquids, the spraying behavior is regular and easy to con trol. If the permittivity of the dispersed phase is higher than that o f the continuous phase, such as when insulating Liquids are sprayed in to gases, the spraying behavior lacks regularity and further research is needed before pure polarization forces can find significant applica tions in practical processes. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.