Enhancement of Heat Transfer by an Electric Field for a Drop Translating at Intermediate Reynolds Number

Abstract

The enhancement of heat transfer by an electric field to a spherical droplet translating at intermediate Reynolds number is numerically investigated using a finite volume method. Two heat transfer limits are considered. The first limit is the external problem where the bulk of the resistance is assumed to be in the continuous phase. Results show that the external Nusselt number significantly increases with electric field strength at all Reynolds numbers. Also, the drag coefficient increases with electric field strength. The enhancement in heat transfer is higher with lower ratio of viscosity of the dispersed phase to the viscosity of the continuous phase. The second heat transfer limit is the internal problem where the bulk of the resistance is assumed to be in the dispersed phase. Results show that the steady state Nusselt number for a combined electrically induced and translational flow is substantially greater than that for purely translational flow. Furthermore, for a drop moving at intermediate Reynolds number, the maximum steady state Nusselt number for a combined electrically induced and translational flow is slightly greater than that for a purely electric field driven motion in a suspended drop.