Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying allows drying at lower temperatures and is thus more energy efficient, and
provides better product quality. EHD drying utilizes an electric field to generate an airflow, which is then applied
to dry moist materials. We present a multiphysics model to simulate corona wind generation during EHD drying
of thin films.
The simulations are used to (1) characterize corona wind generation in terms of air flow field and
magnitude, (2) simulate the electric potential distribution with varying material permittivity, and (3) explore
design improvements. A generic equation was developed in the form of a power-law correlation between
Reynolds and EHD numbers: Re = a EHDb. It allows straightforward design of EHD dryers since the Reynolds
number can be used to estimate mass and heat transfer rates. This modeling study provides valuable insight into
corona wind generation and can be used for further development of EHD dryer devices.
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