DEVELOPING ELECTROSTATIC METHOD OF LIQUID MEDIUM DISPERSION

Subject: the paper considers the development of a method for liquid media dispersion using a high-potential electrostatic field. The existing methods for dispersing liquid media used in industry nowadays have both a number of advantages and disadvantages, the main ones being: the heterogeneity of the particles in size and the increased energy costs for the dispersion process. The analysis of literature sources has shown that with regard to the dispersion of food products during the drying process, the electrostatic dispersion method has encouraging results. This induces great interest in approbation of the electrostatic dispersion method for a wide range of substances, as applied to other industries. To assess the potential of this method, experimental studies were carried out on the dispersion of liquids with electrically conducting, semiconducting and dielectric properties. Research objectives: obtain dependence of dispersity of spray (with an average diameter of droplets) on flow rate and voltage of the high-voltage power supply unit. Materials and methods: to achieve the goal, an experimental device was developed consisting of several functional blocks that allow us to change the flow rate of the medium being atomized, as well as the intensity and geometry of the electrostatic field. During development of the experimental device, in order to select the main equipment, the voltage outputted by the high-voltage power supply unit, as well as its power, were estimated. The results of the experiments (dispersion process) were recorded using digital photo equipment, which allowed us to determine the sizes of the dispersion particles on the basis of their comparison with the reference value. Results: it has been experimentally confirmed that the electrostatic dispersion method makes it possible to obtain a spray with predefined dispersity parameters at high degree of homogeneity. Conclusions: the experiments confirmed the working capacity of the given method of liquid medium dispersion. As a result of processing of the experimental data, a range of voltages was determined at which the change in the dispersity is the most intense. The obtained data form the basis for the development of dispersion devices for various industries.