Numerical Investigation of Electrohydrodynamic Conduction Pumping of Pure n-heptane

Electrohydrodynamic conduction pumping of dielectric liquid film using flush mounted electrodes has been investigated numerically. Numerical modeling has been performed for pure n-heptane with known ion mobilities. Plumley’s model for field enhancement of neutral molecules dissociation rate, has been used which is based on experimental measurements of n-heptane conductivity in the high field strengths. Numerical simulation has been performed for various electrode arrangements in order to investigate the importance of effective factors on flow rate of conduction pumps. Comparison of numerical results with experimental data indicates the good accuracy of numerical modeling. Numerical results show that the net flow generation is principally due to the mismatch of ions mobility and asymmetry of electrodes play a minor role in the conduction pumping of n-heptane.