Numerical simulation and PIV experimental analysis of electrohydrodynamic plumes induced by a blade electrode

In this paper a comparative study between numerical and experimental results from particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements is presented in the case of two-dimensional electrohydrodynamic plumes that arise when a sharp metallic blade, submerged in non-conducting liquids, supports a high electric potential. Experiments and numerical simulations have been conducted in order to compare both the approaches. Very good agreement has been found through velocity profiles and velocity fields which proves the relevance of our numerical model. For high potentials the jet flow issued forth from the blade becomes unsteady and starts to flap on the vertical wall. Some snapshots of the temporal evolution of the isocontours of charge density which is not accessible from experiment are presented thanks to the numerical simulation.