Deformation and Disintegration Behaviour of Single Water Drops in an Oil Phase in an Electric Field

Deformation and disintegration behavior for single water drops in an oil phase in electric fields were studied experimentally. The experimental degree of deformation of the drops and their maximum degree just before their disintegration agreed approximately with the theoretical value proposed by Taylor. Two types of electrical disintegration for the drops were observed depending on the size of the drops: a small deformed drop was disintegrated by ejecting a series of smaller drops at its sharp pointed ends; while a large drop was elongated as a rod-like shape and immediately disintegrated into several small drops.