Numerical and Experimental Study of Electrohydrodynamic Interactions in Two-Phase Flow Under Constant and Transient Electric Fields

Abstract Plasma discharges in bubbles and at gas–liquid interfaces are a promising route for water treatment and sustainable chemistry, where bubble size and shape strongly influence discharge behavior and the delivery of reactive species into the liquid. Here, we focus on the prebreakdown electrohydrodynamics, combining experiments and simulations to study how applied electric fields deform and accelerate bubbles in a dielectric liquid. For numerical analysis, electrohydrodynamic features were added to PHASTA (Parallel Hierarchical Adaptive Stabilized Transient Analysis), a finite element method -based flow solver. With this addition to PHASTA, we examine the effects of electric fields on two-phase flow. This work explores bubble behavior under uniform and transient electric fields. A detailed parametric study and validation of the numerical method are shown by comparing the results to published simulation and experimental data. The study highlights the impact of electric fields on bubble dynamics under various conditions and underscores the importance of accurate numerical modeling in capturing this behavior. The upgraded PHASTA could be used for complex geometries in practical applications.