• 대한기계학회논문집B
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.604-613
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• 2002

Generation characteristics of electrospray droplets for highly viscous liquid have been investigated by measuring size distributions of droplets emitted from the Taylor cone using glycerol solutions with various conductivities. Because of very small volatility of glycerol, droplet sizes can be measured by an aerodynamic size spectrometer (TSI Aerosizer DSP) with negligible evaporation of droplets. For highly conducting and viscous liquid, the sizes of the droplets electrosprayed from the Taylor cone are found to be relatively insensitive to applied voltages and the electrosprays assisted by the corona discharge call produce monodisperse droplets as long as the corona intensity is not too high. Near the minimum flow rate where a liquid cone is stable, the spray tends to consist of a one -peak monodisperse distribution of drop lets. However, at high flow rates, the spray bifurcates into bimodal distributions, which are consistent with the result of the previous study for less viscous liquids than our liquids. For liquid flow rates (Q) below 1 nl/s, the measured droplet diameters by the aerosizer are in the range of 0.30 to 1.2 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ for the glycerol solutions. The diameters of monodisperse droplets scale approximately with $r^*=Q_$\tau$(Q$\tau$){^1/3}$ where $r^*$ is a characteristic length and $\tau$is the electrical relaxation time of the fluid. However, when compared with several represe ntative scaling laws, the droplet diameters are two to six factors greater than those predicted by the scaling laws. This may be closely related to the combined effect of the much higher viscosity and the electrical charge on the jet breakup of glycerol so solution.