Electrokinetic Energy Conversion in Ultrafine Capillaries

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Abstract
Energy conversion utilizing the electrokinetic effect associated with the flow of an electrolyte through ultrafine capillary tubes is investigated analytically. This represents an extension of previous work by one of the authors to capillaries of fineness such that the Debye length is an appreciable fraction of the radius. In addition to this extension, a model for surface conductivity, not considered in the earlier work but important for ultrafine capillaries, is proposed and its effect on conversion efficiency considered. By numerical integration of the Poisson—Boltzmann equation governing the radial potential distribution in the tubes for the case of pure water in glass capillaries, results are obtained for the surface conductivity and maximum conversion efficiency as a function of capillary radius.

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