Unconventional Methods for Influencing Fluid Flow. Part II. Electrokinetic Pumping.

An analysis of electrokinetic energy convertors is presented. This analysis was executed in such a way as to permit comparisons to be made between devices employing different working fluids in which the charging mechanism may be different. Using experimental data from the literature, the conversion capability is predicted for water, various organic liquids, and liquid mercury. The general conclusion is that the efficiency of such devices does not ever appear to be very large. A series of experiments carried out on an electrokinetic pump using water as the working fluid are described in detail. The intention here is not only to indicate how well practice matches theory but to point out the numerous practical problems associated with the serious use of such devices as fluid pumps. The general conclusion is that uncertainties in the electrical properties of fluids cannot reasonably be avoided and act so as to make the prediction of the actual behavior of these devices very difficult. Author