Deposition velocity of particles in charge equilibrium onto a flat plate in parallel airflow under the influence of simultaneous electrophoresis and thermophoresis

• Deposition velocity of particles in charge equilibrium was numerically investigated.
• Particle deposition on a 450-mm-flat-plate in parallel airflow was considered.
• Simultaneous effects of electrophoresis and thermophoresis were included.
• Particles in charge equilibrium showed lower deposition than singly charged ones.

Deposition velocity onto a 450-mm-flat-plate in parallel airflow was numerically investigated by considering the influence of simultaneous electrophoresis and thermophoresis on particles in charge equilibrium. Both the face-up and face-down orientations of the flat plate were considered. When the electric field strength was 0 V/cm, the deposition velocity of particles in charge equilibrium was greatly influenced by thermophoresis, in the size range between 0.005 μm and 3 μm. With increasing electric field strength, the deposition velocity of particles in charge equilibrium under the existence of thermophoresis increased for both the face-up and face-down surfaces and the size range of particles affected by thermophoresis became narrower. The electric field of 1000 V/cm appeared to make the deposition velocity of particles in charge equilibrium almost unaffected by thermophoresis. For the face-down surface, the deposition velocity of micrometer-sized particles dropped sharply even with the attractive thermophoresis and electrophoresis, owing to gravitational settling effect. With a strong electric field applied, the deposition velocity of particles smaller than approximately 3 μm onto both the face-up and face-down surfaces was expected to be high, even thermophoresis was repulsive.