Modeling fine particle dispersion in an inhomogeneous electric field with a modified drift flux model

Dispersion of ultrafine particles (less than 0.1 μm) and accumulation mode particles (0.1–2.5 μm) remains as an area of major concern to microelectronic and semiconductor industry. A possible means of containing the dispersion of particulate pollutants is to subject them to electrostatic precipitation. The present study is concerned with the dispersion of particles in the presence of an inhomogeneous electric field. The widely accepted drift flux model is used to account for the drift flux induced by the inhomogeneous electric field. The mean turbulent flow field for the present analysis is obtained by solving the re-normalization group (RNG) k–ɛ model with the aid of the open source CFD code – Open∇FOAM version 1.5. In addition to the flow field equations, the Poisson equation for the electric field, the charge continuity equation and the particle concentration equation are solved to obtain a complete solution for the present case. A comparison of the concentration field for a particle size of 0.1 μm with and without electric field reveals the impact of electric field on particle concentration distribution. The simulation results are compared with the available experimental data and numerical results.