Investigation of droplet coalescence propelled by dielectrophoresis

Abstract

We propose dielectrophoretic force driven coalescence of droplets having equal or nonequal sizes with an electrode base actuation system over a solid surface. Coupled electrohydrodynamic conservation equations are solved to simulate the phenomenon based on finite volume scheme. Volume of fluid technique is used to capture the interface. Electric potential and dissimilarity index are varied to comprehend the coalescence dynamics. The interplay between the capillary and electrostatic influences during the coalescence is analyzed by tracking the dimension of the liquid connection formed at the onset of fusion. Efforts have been made to characterize the liquid bridge formation as a function of inertia normalized time scale. The capillary force showed higher dominance in the initial period of agglomeration. The electrostatic influence can be perceived at the latter stages of the growth of liquid connection. Directional predilection in the flow field is observed during the coalescence of dissimilar droplets. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 829–839, 2019

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