  An electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow in a point-to-ring corona configuration is
investigated experimentally, analytically and via a multiphysics numerical
model. The interaction between the accelerated ions and the neutral gas
molecules is modeled as an external body force in the Navier-Stokes equation
(NSE). The gas flow characteristics are solved from conservation principles
with spectral methods. The analytical and numerical simulation results are
compared against experimental measurements of the cathode voltage, ion
concentration, and velocity profiles. A nondimensional parameter, X, is
formulated as the ratio of the local electric force to the inertial term in the
NSE. In the region of X > 1, the electric force dominates the flow dynamics,
while in the X << 1 region, the balance of viscous and inertial terms yields
traditional pipe flow characteristics.
