Role of Joule heating in the electrostatic spraying of liquids

摘要

Electrostatic spraying from a liquid cone is associated with a high electric current density at the tip of the cone. For all nonmetals, and for some metals, the Joule heating produced by this current is sufficient to poil the liquid. It is suggested that boiling, rather than electrostatic force, is responsible for the liquid droplets which appear in electrostatic spraying. This suggestion is confirmed by comparison of the expected temperature with the observed mode of spraying for various metals and nonmetals.