In order to explore the evaporation of multiple droplets under high voltage electric field. The vapor-shielding effect of multiple droplets fixed on the wall in an electrostatic environment was investigated by a visual experimental system under a DC electric field. The effects of droplet spacing ratio (L/R,where L is the center distance between adjacent droplets at both ends, and R is the contact radius of droplets.), salt concentration gradient, and uniform/non-uniform electrostatic field on the evaporation of central droplets were systematically investigated. The results show that the vapor-shielding effect significantly prolongs the evaporation time of the central droplet. The lifetime of the central droplet with L/R=5.36 is 26.9% longer than that with L/R=8.73. This effect is due to the local high-humidity region formed by the overlap of the vapor diffusion regions between droplets, which inhibits the evaporation flux. The electrostatic field regulation mechanism is distance-dependent: in a uniform electric field, the evaporation rate of the central droplet at a close distance (L/R=4.5) increases by 21.06% at a 5 kV voltage, while the evaporation of the central droplet at a long distance (L/R=8.9) is inhibited by 14.0%. In a non-uniform electric field, the resulting ion wind can disrupt the vapor-shielding layer. When the central droplet is substantially influenced by the vapor-shielding effect, applying pressure can increase its evaporation rate to levels comparable to that of a single droplet, while reducing energy consumption by 15.54%.
DENG Jie-wen, ZHANG Fu-qiang, NAN Xue-yan, YU Zi-kang.
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Science Technology and Engineering, 2026, 26(24): 10414-10423 DOI:10.12404/j.issn.1671-1815.2506541
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