On Electrostatic Spraying of Salty Tap-Water on a Flat Target

Abstract

Electrospraying is a process that uses electrostatic force to break up a liquid into droplets by using a strong electric field. There are different modes of electrospraying depending on the electric field strength and the liquid flow rate for a specified liquid. The simple-jet mode is among these modes, which can produce monodisperse droplets. This article is aimed at analyzing electrospraying in simple-jet mode of a pesticide—solution issued from the nozzle of a capillary of the spray—system. The analysis includes the formation of a jet charged by conduction at low applied voltages (below corona onset) and by corona discharge at voltages higher than the corona onset value. The electric field distribution in the space between the charged jet and the target is calculated at voltages below and above the corona onset value. The disintegration of the jet into droplets is assessed to determine the jet length and radius as well as the charge and radius of droplets. The current–voltage characteristic of the spray system is calculated and checked experimentally. The agreement between the calculated and measured currents in the spray system at the same applied voltage is satisfactory.