Abstract
Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) are carried out to study dynamics of a horizontal interface separating two fluids, having different electrical properties, under the influence of an AC electric field. A front tracking/finite difference method is used in conjunction with Taylor's leaky dielectric model to solve the governing electrohydrodynamic equations in both fluids at finite Reynolds numbers. The behavior of the interface in an AC field at a high and a low frequency is compared with that in the corresponding DC electric field. In all the cases considered, the interface forms a vertical conic column which originates at the fluid with a higher electric conductivity and extends to the one with a lower electric conductivity. In the DC electric field, the interface height (represented by its midpoint) reaches a steady state which is determined by the balance between the electric force (that pulls the interface upward) in one hand, and the surface tension and the column weight (that try to bring the interface back to its original position) on the other hand. In the low frequency AC field, the height oscillates between a minimum that is nearly zero and a maximum that is substantially higher than the steady-state DC height. In the high frequency, however, the minimum and maximum heights are close to the steady state DC one.
Published Version
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