title: ac electric fields drive steady flows in flames.
abstract: We show that time-oscillating electric fields applied to plasmas present in flames create steady flows of gas. Ions generated within the flame move in the field and migrate a distance δ before recombining; the net flow of ions away from the flame creates a time-averaged force that drives the steady flows observed experimentally. A quantitative model describes the response of the flame and reveals how δ decreases as the frequency of the applied field increases. Interestingly, above a critical frequency, ac fields can be used to manipulate flames at a distance without the need for proximal electrodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Drews
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cademartiri
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chemama
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: George M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Whitesides
authors.forename: Kyle J M
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bishop
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D005390:Fires; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods*