The effect of gravitational acceleration in the streaming potential on the surface of a planetary body and in orbit around it

Abstract

A corrected gravitational acceleration has been used for the study of the electric streaming potential. The acceleration has been corrected for the oblateness of a spherical body, as well as the rotational velocity of the spherical body. For higher viscosity values we find that on the surface of a spherical body the electric streaming field is slightly higher at the poles when compared to that of the equator. Aboard an orbiting spacecraft, we find that equatorial circular orbits that they carry experiments which use high viscosity fluids result to a higher streaming field values when compared to circular polar orbits. In a similar way, we find that the electric streaming field as well as the electrophoretic velocity of the particle in the fluid considered increases significantly in elliptical orbits as the orbital eccentricity increases, being higher in equatorial orbits and smaller in polar orbits. © 2015 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.