FORMATION AND STABILITY OF JETS OF SLIGHTLY CONDUCTIVE FLUID IN HIGH ELECTRIC FIELD

The behaviour of slightly conductive liquid jets under the action of shearing electric stressses in investigated. Stability problems due to capillary effects are also considered. Jet radius is analysed with regard to the following parameters: longitudinal coordinate, electric field strength, volume flow rate, electrical current, surface tension, viscosity and polarization. Jet flow instability produced by small axisymmetric perturbations has been studied both by the theory of Rayleigh and by taking into account actual electrohydrodynamics jet behaiviour. In the latter case the condition of complete stabilisation of the charged jet in an electric field is found to be not so universal as in the corresponding criterion defined by Rayleigh.