A study of nozzle extraction geometry of a liquid metal atomizer using computer simulation of electric fields

The authors compare experimental measurements with results obtained using a dedicated computer program for finite-element modeling of fields in the vicinity of a liquid metal atomizer nozzle/tip. A good agreement between the experiment and the computer model has been achieved for two different nozzle geometries, with particular attention being paid to accuracy of the numerical solution near the tip for equipotentials as well as derived values of field strength. In addition, the potential distribution has been calculated for several different positions of the extractor electrode and the effects of negative extractor voltage observed for each case. The suitability of the computer technique for qualitative consideration of the atomization process itself is assessed.<>