Vorticity induced by electrostatic forces

In a discharge configuration with high voltage corona wires the gas flow is affected by body forces which are induced by the flow of ions. One device strongly influenced by this ionic wind is the electrostatic precipitator. A simple configuration is considered in which the corona wires are parallel to the mean gas flow, located in the center plane, and bounded by two grounded plates. Vortices are formed between the wires and the plates. The mainly non-viscous effects of the gas flow can be represented by the Euler equation. For a specific two-dimensional situation and together with some assumptions a linearized semi-analytical solution is derived. These inherently steady flow patterns are compared with finite volume solutions of the full set of nonlinear equations. This finite volume simulation of the flow field compares well with the linearized solution at an initial state, however it tends to produce instabilities and it is not certain that a steady state solution exists.