Electro-thermal convection in dielectric liquids

✍ Scribed by Peter J. Stiles

• Book ID: 103030431
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 439 KB
• Volume: 179
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2614
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2614(91)87043-b

✦ Synopsis

Au electrically insulating liquid Layer, confmed between horizontal conducting electrudes, the upper of which is warmer, becomes unstable with respect to the onset of steady convection when the electric tield strength reaches a critical value. In a rapidly varying ac field this instability is due to the polarisation body force. We extend Roberts' electrohydrodynamic analysis and test the results against data of Tumbull and Melcher for polydimethylsiloxane. Quantitative agreement between theory and experiment is obtained. We also predict critical voltages of between 0.37 and 9.3 kV to induce convection in 1 mm layers of acetonitrile, nitrobenzene, acetone, chlorohenzene, and cyclohexane when the upper electrode is at 35°C and the lower electrode at 15°C.