Abstract A numerical study, employing boundary element method (BEM), on the interaction of two perfectly conducting drops in a perfectly dielectric medium (PCPD), under electric field, is presented here. A scaling analysis is carried out to show that electric stress is balanced by the hydrodynamic stress while the capillary stress becomes subdominant as the drops approach each other under electric field. Parameters such as initial separation distance and electrocapillary number are numerically studied using BEM to see their effects on deformation of drops, characterized by their cone angle β at contact, in pre-contact phase. In the post-contact phase, the drops are bridged using Bird et al. (2009)’s analytical model, which is solved numerically. Thereafter BEM is employed to realize coalescence and non-coalescence as exhibited by the bridged drops, depending on critical cone angle. It is also shown numerically, that electrostatics play no part for PCPD system once the charges at the tips of the drop poles are neutralized on bridging thus validating Bird et al. (2009)’s assumption.

中文翻译：

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电场作用下两种导电液滴在非导电介质中聚结与非聚结的数值研究

摘要 这里介绍了使用边界元法 (BEM) 对完美电介质 (PCPD) 中两个完美导电液滴在电场下的相互作用进行的数值研究。进行比例分析以表明电应力被流体动力应力平衡，而毛细应力随着液滴在电场下相互接近而变得次要。使用边界元法对初始分离距离和电毛细管数等参数进行数值研究，以查看它们对液滴变形的影响，其特征在于接触前阶段的接触锥角 β。在接触后阶段，使用 Bird 等人将液滴桥接。(2009) 的分析模型，这是数值求解。此后，使用边界元法来实现桥接液滴所表现出的聚结和非聚结，取决于临界锥角。还以数字方式表明，一旦液滴极尖的电荷在桥接时被中和，静电对 PCPD 系统不起作用，从而验证了 Bird 等人的观点。(2009) 的假设。