Abstract:In order to explore the evaporation of multiple droplets under high voltage electric field. In this study, 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 was due to the local high-humidity region formed by the overlap of the vapor diffusion regions between droplets, which inhibited the evaporation flux. The electrostatic field regulation mechanism was distance-dependent: in a uniform electric field, the evaporation rate of the central droplet at a close distance (L/R=4.5) increased by 21.06% at a 5 kV voltage, while the evaporation of the central droplet at a long distance (L/R=8.9) was 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%.