Parameters Influencing the Performance of a Single Needle to Plane EHD Drying Mechanism

Abstract

Electrohydrodynamics (EHD) has found prominence in several studies due to its utilization of a low power consuming corona discharge for achieving the drying enhancement. Corona discharge forms the core functionality of Electrohydrodynamics (EHD) drying, which deals with the performance enhancement of an application by controlling the corona discharge or ionic wind. A phenomenon known as the corona discharge is induced, when the electric field around a charged conductor is strong enough to ionize the surrounding dielectric gas molecules but not strong enough to cause an electrical breakdown. This discharge assists in mass transfer enhancement. Controlled corona discharge can be used in drying enhancement, and similar applications. These applications are energy-efficient, cost-effective, cleaner, and greener processes, with a non-mechanical design that allows rapid control over the drying. This gives EHD drying an advantage over conventional drying processes. In this review, an effort has been made to summarize various performance parameters associated with needle-to-plane configuration-based EHD drying mechanisms which can help in development of an effective configuration to build a large scale industrial drying setup.