A Numerical Simulation of Warm Fog Dissipation by Electrically Enhanced Coalescence: Part I. An Applied Electric Field

Abstract

It has been suggested that the use of charged particles or electric fields be considered as a technique for dissipating warm fogs. The study presented here attempts to determine the degree of improvement one could expect as the result of one aspect of electrically enhanced coalescence?enhanced coalescence due to an externally applied electric field on neutral drops. For this purpose, a numerical simulation with a one-dimensional microphysical fog model which incorporates the process of collision-coalescence was conducted. Collision efficiencies appropriate to two extreme electric fields were utilized for the numerical experiments. It was determined that a noticeable improvement in visibility can be achieved only under extremely large field strengths, and then only for certain fog spectra.