Enhancement of Heat Transfer and Mass Transport in Single-Phase and Two-Phase Flows with Electrohydrodynamics

Abstract

Abstract For the last twenty years significant work on electrohydrodynamically (EHD) enhanced heat transfer and mass transport, with a focus on industrial applications, especially with respect to evaporators and condensers, has been performed by researchers around the world. The rapid control of performance by varying the applied electric field, the simple design, and low power requirements are all advantages of the application of EHD. A significant amount of applied and fundamental research is still required before the EHD phenomena can be utilized in an industrial setting. However, it is expected that within the next decade some EHD-enhanced industrial applications will become a reality. The intent of this chapter is not to provide an exhaustive published bibliography of research on EHD-coupled heat transfer or mass transport. Such comprehensive reviews of past research on EHD-enhanced single- and two-phase heat transfer and EHD-induced flow were published in 1978 and 1995. The purpose of this chapter is to provide prospective researchers with an initial background on EHD-enhanced heat transfer and mass transport and information and approaches to studying electric field, fluid flow field, and heat transfer coupled problems.