Numerical Simulation of Jet Mode in Electrospraying of Newtonian and Viscoelastic Fluids

TL;DR

This paper uses numerical simulations to study how viscoelastic properties of polymer solutions influence jet behavior in electrospraying, validating models and comparing with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical approach to model viscoelastic jets in electrospraying and examines the effect of the Weissenberg number on jet profiles, validated against experimental results.

Findings

Increased solution concentration shortens the jet length to asymptotic profile.

The final jet thickness slightly decreases with higher solution concentration.

The simulation results agree with experimental observations.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the role of viscoelastic properties of polymeric solutions on the jet mode in the electrospray process. In this research, several numerical simulations were performed to model the behavior of electrified Newtonian and viscoelastic jets. First, used for validating viscoelastic constitutive equations and their implementation, the benchmark problem of the sedimenting sphere is stabilized beyond the previously suggested threshold. Then, an electrified DI water jet was simulated, and the obtained jet profile was compared with the experimental data from previous publications. Finally, the proposed algorithm was used to simulate viscoelastic electrified jets, where the effect of the Weissenberg number (Wi) on the jet profile was examined. In agreement with the previously obtained experimental results, by increasing the solution concentration, the asymptotic profile of the jet is reached at a smaller length from the nozzle, while the final thickness of the jet is slightly reduced.