Theoretical and Experimental Study of Electrohydrodynamic Heat Transfer Enhancement Through Wire-Plate Corona Discharge

Abstract

Heat and mass transfer between a surface and the surrounding gas can be enhanced by the application of electric body forces that induce jet or plume-like fluid motion. Such enhancement causes no noise or vibration, can be applied in complex, isolated geometries, and allows simple control of surface temperatures. This paper examines the potentially useful case of multiple fine-wire electrodes suspended in the open air above a grounded and heated horizontal surface. An infrared camera system was used to obtain a complete and accurate distribution of local heat transfer coefficients on the impingement surface. A numerical code was developed and verified by comparison with experimental data. This code was then used to investigate and compare the heat transfer generated by novel electrode geometries.