Numerical Simulation of Electrohydrodynamical Problems

When lacquering in the classical way, i. e., by spraying just with compressed air, half of the material gets lost. Hence new techniques to avoid this exhaustive waste are investigated. This led to different approaches depending on the special needs. Considering automobile industry, charged spraying seems to be a promising idea. Here, corona discharge is used to charge the lacquer droplets in order to govern their motion with the help of an electric field. The aim of this thesis is to develop a simulation tool for this electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow problem. Apart from the lacquering and painting of parts, similar problems occur for particle filters such as in chimneys of factories, or in medical laboratory tests, for example to hold enzymes in a place where they can be observed. The general three dimensional mathematical model of the EHD flow problem is based on Maxwell’s equations, especially on Faraday’s and Gauss ’ law. They lead to a non-linear system of partial differential equations for the electric field, the space charge density, and the current density