The Fluid Dynamics of Taylor Cones

The formation of cone-jets in charged liquids with electrical conductivities larger than 10⁻⁴ S/m is reviewed for steady supported menisci and transient Coulomb fissions in charged drops. Taylor's hydrostatic model does not apply strictly, but it forms the basis for subsequent developments. The jet structure is critically dependent on the model used for charge transport, which has been based mostly on a constant conductivity assumption. Saville's (1997) more general model predicts the formation of rarefaction fronts with wide space charge–dominated regions near the liquid surface, which apparently do arise in polar liquids near the minimum flow rate. Known approximate scaling laws for the jet break down at electrical conductivities of about 1 S/m due to ion evaporation from the meniscus. In molten salts and liquid metals a regime of purely ionic emissions exists without drop or jet formation.