Publication: A laboratory investigation of electrical influence on the freezing of water drops: A cloud physics perspective
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal of Earth System Science
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Electro-crystallization, the freezing of water droplet induced by an electric field has been investigated by many investigators previously. But disagreements regarding the cause of freezing still persist in the literature. A cloud chamber of the internal dimension of 1 ft � 1 ft has been designed to study electro-crystallization of �mm� size pure water drops. More than 150 experiments have been performed in the chamber in the absence and presence of an electric field. Preliminary results suggest that in normal conditions, maximum drops freeze in the temperature ranging from ?10� to �15�C, consistent with the previous laboratory studies. When the drops are subjected to an electric field of magnitude 2�5 kV cm?1, the drops are observed to freeze in a much warmer temperature ranging from �6� to �10�C indicating an electric field induced crystallization. No movement of the drops is observed during the freezing, which suggests that the freezing may be initiated by absorption of the latent heat of fusion by the Nylon wire where the drops are kept suspended. The implication of the electrically induced freezing from the perspective of cloud physics also has been discussed. � 2021, Indian Academy of Sciences.
Description
Keywords
cloud, cloud chamber, electric field, Electro-freezing, water drop