Transport and Segregation of Suspensions in Traveling Electric Fields

ABSTRACT

CTS-0307099

A. Acrivos, CUNY City College

The primary goal of the NSF proposal is to study theoretically and experimentally the interaction of suspended particles with a traveling electric field having a constant amplitude. This interaction originates through the time lag of the polarization of the particles and the suspending fluid due to the spatial variation of the field phase in a traveling electric wave.

This project will address electro-hydrodynamic phenomena originating through the imaginary components of the polarization of particles and a suspending fluid, which are responsible for the loss of the electric energy. In particular, a traveling electric field was observed to drag a fluid whereas a high gradient electric field whose phase is constant does not generate the fluid flow.