(182b) Electrohydrodynamics of a Viscous Drop

Electrohydrodynamics (EHD) of a viscous drop is of great relevance in engineering and industrial applications. In this talk we present both modeling and numerical results from investigating the electrohydrodynamics of a viscous drop under an electric field. We will illustrate how surfactant (surface active agent) may lead to different drop EHD, both dielectric drop or conducting drop. Numerical algorithms are developed to efficiently simulate the drop EHD, for a range of electric field strength. Under an electric field of moderate strength the steady drop shape compares well with the numerical simulation results, both in good agreement with experimental results. Under a strong electric field, several drop EHD is observed depending on the combination of physical parameters. Furthermore inertia effects are found to be important when the drop undergoes extreme deformation under a strong electric field. Finally we extend our EHD model to include electrokinetic effects and illustrate how EHD is affected by key electrokinetic phenomena.