An ionization tank for efficiently negatively charging fine particles, ultrafine particles, and nanoparticles present at high or ultra-high density in soot, vehicle exhaust gases, or air.

Abstract

An ionization chamber suitable for negatively charging fine, ultrafine and nano particles present in an air flow composed of soot or vehicle exhaust gases or in an air flow of air in an indoor environment, said air flow being suitable for being freed of said particles, said ionization chamber being suitable for negatively charging said solid particles (P) contained in said air flow (F) as said solid particles pass through said ionization chamber (1), said ionization chamber constituting an ionization section (2) having an elongated, preferably plate-shaped, first member (6) and a second member (7) facing each other. a body (5) having a first member (6) and a second member (7) connected to the first member (6) and a negative voltage applied thereto so as to produce a potential different from that of the second member (7); the first and second members (6, 7) form a passage (10) for the air flow (F); the first member (6) supports a plurality of elongated members (14) having pointed ends, the elongated members protruding into the passage (10) perpendicular to the air flow (F), the elongated members (14) being adapted to generate an electron flow directed toward the second member (7) by the potential difference and to cross with the solid particles (P) present in the air flow and to negatively charge the solid particles. Further, an air purifier is claimed that includes an ionization chamber adapted for said negative charging.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ionization tank that negatively charges particles such as ultrafine particles and nanoparticles present in an airflow as described in the prerequisites of an independent claim. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a negatively charged ionizing air purifier equipped with such an ionization tank.

[0002] The present invention relates to an ionization tank that efficiently negatively charges fine particles, ultrafine particles, and nanoparticles present in an airflow or in the air of an indoor environment, which are composed of soot from a large chimney or chimney, or exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine vehicle. [Background technology]

[0003] Various air purification systems have been known for decades. Some air purification systems use electrostatic filters to trap solid particles in the air by generating positive ions in them. This ionization occurs within the electrostatic filter by removing electrons from the solid particles, thereby positively ionizing them.

[0004] Thus, an airflow containing positively charged solid particles is passed through an electric field equipped with a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The positive electrode repels the positively charged particles, while the negative electrode attracts the positively charged particles and deposits them on the negative electrode.

[0005] This type of air purifier is capable of blocking "coarse" solid particles that are several micrometers or larger in size. However, while its removal performance is satisfactory for small and medium-sized particles (particles larger than several micrometers), its removal performance for smaller particles—more precisely, ultrafine and nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm, which amount to thousands or hundreds of millions of particles per liter in soot, gas, or air—is extremely limited and cannot be ignored.

[0006] This type of electrostatic filter system was highly valued until the 1980s and 1990s, when the particles present in the air were primarily derived from combustion materials such as coal or wood, and were of a size that could be efficiently captured by the electrostatic filter.

[0007] However, over the past several decades, the air has been increasingly filled with smaller particles, ranging in size from a few nanometers to about 10 micrometers. These particles have almost completely replaced the larger particles that were previously emitted by factories and vehicles and filtered out.

[0008] However, as mentioned above, there are emitted particles with extremely fine particle sizes. These are so-called nanoparticles (NPs) and ultrafine particles (UFPs), with particle sizes of 50 nm to 1 nm and 100 nm to 50 nm, respectively. These particles are extremely unstable and are carried by the wind to immeasurably long distances (thousands of kilometers) from where they originate, and fall to the ground very slowly.

[0009] Recent epidemiological studies have shown that inhaling these particles is extremely dangerous. See, for example, "Passage of Inhaled Particles Into the Blood Circulation in Humans" by A. Nemmar et al. (2002), "Ultrafine Particles in Cities" by Prashant Kumar et al. (2014), and the publication "Ultrafine Particulate Matter Study in the San Francisco Bay Area" (2010).

[0010] According to these studies, particles such as UFPs or NPs are the cause of many diseases.

[0011] In particular, it has been observed that once these particles are inhaled, they are not retained by the pulmonary membrane but pass through it and enter the bloodstream. Therefore, these particles can reach somatic cells, and because of their small size, they can pass through the cell membrane and eventually enter the ribonucleic acid of the cell.

[0012] Novel devices have been developed to capture particles such as UFPs or NPs, for example, International Publication No. 2020 / 104488 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017 / 0341087, which provide a combination of units or ionization units suitable for negatively charging these particles present in the air, and which comprise a unit comprising assembled ionization units. Such devices are defined as air purifiers.

[0013] Thus, these known air purifiers are equipped with a first ionization unit for negatively charging these particles present in the airflow through which they pass, and are used, for example, in indoor environments. These known air purifiers vary in shape and size. As described above, these purifiers are equipped with an ionization unit and a recovery unit.

[0014] In particular, known solutions are suitable for ionizing solid particles present in an airflow by utilizing the corona principle with multiple chips, i.e., the chip effect to which an appropriate negative voltage is applied, to emit electrons into space to generate an electron region or electron cloud around the chips, thereby transferring a negative charge to solid particles present in the airflow. In this regard, the above prior art discloses an ionization unit or ionization section comprising multiple elongated emitter members (pointed) arranged so as to be parallel or perpendicular to the airflow and placed in the airflow. These elongated emitter members are connected to a negative voltage source and emit electrons that generate an electron cloud around their free ends (chips) by corona discharge, thereby negatively charging solid particles in the airflow. The airflow comes into contact with a fluid consisting of multiple elongated emitter members, soot, gas, or air in the indoor environment.

[0015] The airflow, with the particles thus charged, moves toward the recovery unit or recovery section of the air purifier, which is located downstream of the ionization unit. The recovery unit or recovery section is responsible for recovering solid particles that have already had their negative charge transferred by the ionization unit of the air purifier. To achieve this purpose, the recovery unit or recovery section comprises a plurality of parallel-arranged plates, with a plate that generates a positive electric field between them. In particular, the recovery section comprises a recovery plate to which a positive voltage is applied, which attracts negatively charged solid particles, and a plate to which a negative voltage is applied, which is intended to drive the negatively charged particles toward the plate to which the positive voltage is applied.

[0016] Instead of a plate to which a negative voltage is applied, a grounded plate, or a neutral point potential plate that is neither to which a negative voltage is applied nor grounded, may be used.

[0017] The greater the electric field between the recovery plate to which a positive voltage is applied and the plate to which a negative voltage is applied, or which is grounded, or which is at neutral potential, the greater the possibility of capturing ionized particles passing through the electric field between the plates, and therefore the improved removal performance of the air purifier.

[0018] However, as described in the prior art documents mentioned above, the ability to generate electron clouds around sharply pointed components (for example, triangularly pointed components) is limited from the standpoint of preventing excessive ozone generation in the air. Therefore, the prior art solution, which relies solely on corona discharge to negatively charge ultrafine particles and nanoparticles in the air, proved inefficient.

[0019] In recent years, the problem of ultrafine particles and nanoparticles has become significantly more apparent due to pollution from internal combustion engine vehicles, and the concentration of ultrafine particles and nanoparticles per liter of air has increased dramatically.

[0020] As an example, in 2017, air tests were conducted in limited traffic congestion areas in Rome. According to this test, there were found to be approximately 20 MP10 particles, approximately 176 PM2.5 particles, approximately 1203 PM1 particles, and approximately 58×10individuals of ultrafine and nanoparticle (UFP and NP) per liter of air. As can be seen from this, the values of ultrafine and nanoparticles far exceed the values of particles of average size and fine particles, posing a significant potential risk to the health of people living in the measured area (for the reasons pointed out above).

[0021] According to the actual research and tests conducted, it was found that the concentration of particles existing in the atmosphere is related to the size of the particles. The concentration of fine particles (with a size of 10μm to 0.3μm) per liter of air is in the tens of thousands, while ultrafine and nanoparticles (UFP and NP) have an extremely high concentration of over 100 million per liter of air, and in soot and the exhaust gas of internal combustion engine vehicles, it can reach even higher values.

[0022] In the indoor environment, the concentration of ultrafine and nanoparticles existing in one liter of air can be far higher than that in the outdoor environment and can be equal to 3 to 4 times. The concentration of ultrafine and nanoparticles varies depending on the location, near or not near the emission sources such as factories, incinerators, energy production factories, oil refineries, etc., and near traffic-congested roads.

[0023] In recent years, it has been observed that the concentration of ultrafine and nanoparticles has been increasing continuously. This is due to the existence of hundreds of thousands of emission sources that are constantly increasing in number on Earth, the decreased ability of raindrops or snow formation to reduce the particles already emitted, or the aggregation phenomenon between particles.

[0024] ​Obviously, the ability to ionize solid particles in the air by corona discharge decreases as the concentration of solid particles increases and as the size of the solid particles decreases. As a result, the possibility of capturing ultrafine particles and nanoparticles is significantly reduced, lowering the removal performance level of air, soot, or exhaust gas purification systems that operate based on ionization. Specifically, due to these reasons, the removal performance of ion-type air purifiers manufactured according to the prior art is extremely high for large-diameter particles (0.5 to 1 μm, 1 to 2.5 μm, and 2.5 to 10 μm) compared to small-diameter particles. This is also because the ionization ability increases as the particle size increases, resulting in a higher ionization ability for large-diameter particles.

[0025] In contrast, for solid particles (ultrafine particles and nanoparticles) with extremely small size or particle diameter, ion-type air purifiers manufactured according to the prior art have significantly low removal performance. This is because the ionization ability for solid particles with extremely small size or particle diameter is extremely low due to both the small size of the particles themselves and the fact that the concentration of solid particles with extremely small size or particle diameter is thousands or tens of thousands of times higher than the concentration of large-diameter particles per 1 cm 3 of air, that is, per liter.

[0026] Particularly, in recent air purifiers, a chip-shaped electron emission member to which a negative voltage is applied and which is arranged in the direction of the air flow or perpendicular to the air flow undergoes corona discharge, so a "limited" amount of electrons is emitted around the tip of the electron emission member. The emitted electrons can be ionized to a level sufficient to capture only a limited portion of the fine particles, ultrafine particles, or nano fine particles present in the air flow at an extremely high concentration. Therefore, the ability to negatively charge the particles is limited, and the proportion of particles captured by the air purifier is also limited. Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0027] The object of the present invention is to provide an ionization tank suitable for efficiently mixing with an airflow that passes through the tank and contains fine particles and extremely fine particles, i.e., ultrafine particles (UFPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) at high or ultra-high concentrations, and which, through this mixing, can negatively charge these particles before removing the fine particles from the airflow.

[0028] More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide ultra-high concentrations (cm³) of particles with a size of less than 10 nm in chimneys, smoke from large chimneys, exhaust gas from internal combustion engines, and thus in the air. 3 The objective is to provide a negatively charged ionization cell that enhances the efficiency of interaction with airflow containing fine particles and extremely fine particles, i.e., ultrafine particles and nanoparticles, which are particles present in tens of millions per unit area.

[0029] Another object of the present invention is to provide a negatively charged ionization tank of the above type that can be used in an indoor environment to efficiently purify indoor air, and can also be used at the opening of a chimney, large chimney, or exhaust pipe of a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine that emits soot.

[0030] Another object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier equipped with the above-described negatively charged ionization tank that has high removal performance with respect to particles such as UFPs and NPs.

[0031] Another object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier that can not only be used to efficiently purify air from fine particles, ultrafine particles, and nanofine particles, but can also dramatically reduce microbial contamination of all kinds and sizes (contamination by viruses, spores, bacteria, mold, or fungi) present in air treatment plants depending on the indoor environment, temperature, and humidity.

[0032] Another objective of the present invention is to provide the above-described type of air purifier that is easy to manufacture but cost-effective. [Means for solving the problem]

[0033] These objectives, and other objectives which will be more apparent to those skilled in the art, are achieved by a negatively charged ionization chamber used in the air purifier described in the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0034] To better understand the present invention, the following drawings illustrating non-limiting examples are attached. [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the basic components of an air purifier equipped with a negatively charged ionization tank, which is not covered by the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view along line 2-2 in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a negatively charged ionization tank used in an air purifier that does not fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a front view of a modified example of a negatively charged ionization tank used in an air purifier, which is not within the scope of protection of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a front view of another modified example of a negatively charged ionization tank, which falls within the scope of protection of the present invention. [Figure 6] For the sake of simplification, some of the components are omitted, and a different embodiment is shown that does not fall within the scope of protection of the present invention, in which the ionization tank for negative charging is configured as a two-stage negative charging ionization tank. [Figure 7] For the sake of simplification, some of the components are omitted, and a different embodiment is shown that does not fall within the scope of protection of the present invention, in which the ionization tank for negative charging is configured as a two-stage negative charging ionization tank. [Figure 8] For the sake of simplification, some of the components have been omitted, and another embodiment of the present invention is shown in which the ionization tank for negative charging is configured as a two-stage negative charging ionization tank. [Figure 9] Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the embodiment shown. [Figure 10] A perspective view of another modified example of the negatively charged ionization vessel according to the present invention is shown. [Figure 11] Figure 10 shows a modified example equipped with a power supply, with a front side perspective view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] Referring to the above drawing, an ion-type air purifier 100 and main components intended for air purification or disinfection are shown. This type of air purifier includes an ionization tank 1 that generates negative charge and a recovery unit 3.

[0036] More specifically, the ionization tank 1 includes an ionization section 2 suitable for imparting a negative charge to particles (fine particles, ultrafine particles, or nanoparticles) present in the airflow. The airflow passes through the ionization tank 1, and the recovery section 3 captures and retains these types of particles, thereby removing them from the airflow. The ionization section 2 and the recovery section 3 of the ionization tank are located in close proximity to each other.

[0037] In a simplified embodiment, referring to Figures 3 to 5, although the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4 are not covered by the present invention, the ionization tank 1 comprises a polygonal body 5 having side members or end members 6, 7, 8 and 9, and these side members or end members are composed of linear structures (for example, rod-shaped bodies with arbitrary cross-sectional shapes) or planar bodies (for example, plate-shaped bodies) provided parallel to each other. In particular, the polygonal body 5 comprises a first member 6, a second member 7 provided separately from it, side members or end members 8 and 9 connecting the first and second members, and a passage 10 for an airflow F that conveys particles in a suspended state. In some of the attached drawings (for example, Figures 7 and 8), the airflow enters the ionization section 2 (F IN ) and the outflow stage from the ionization section (F OUT It is indicated by ) and has an arrow.

[0038] The particles, or fine particles, may be in a fine particle state or an ultrafine particle state, and may be fine nanoparticles less than 10 nm in size, 1 cm 3 The density of hits may be high.

[0039] air purifier 100 It can be used to purify the air in an indoor environment, or to purify soot emitted from a chimney or exhaust gases from a vehicle.

[0040] Returning to the description of the ionization section 2 of the ionization tank 1, the ionization section is composed of the first and second members 6 and 7 of the ionization tank 1 described above. This ionization section 2 includes a plurality of elongated members 14 that protrude from the first member 6 of the polygonal body 5 and protrude into the passage 10 toward the second member 7. These elongated members 14 are arranged perpendicular to the airflow F passing through the ionization section 2. As illustrated in the embodiment of the ionization section 2 shown in Figure 10, the first member 6 is connected to the negative electrode of the battery 16 or other electrical energy generating device (the connection is shown by a single line). On the other hand, the second member 7 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 16 (this connection is shown by a double line), or instead of doing so, it is grounded.

[0041] This creates a predetermined potential difference between the first and second members 6 and 7 of the polygonal body 5 within the passage 10. Since the first member 6 is connected to a negative voltage, the voltage difference relative to the second member 7 is also applied to the elongated (sharp-ended) member 14.

[0042] Referring to Figure 5, which shows one embodiment of the present invention, each elongated member is provided with several branched tips 18 (or more tips), which are located at the ends of linear members projecting toward the second member 7. Each elongated member is connected to a single base 14A which is connected to the first member 6.

[0043] Each tip 18 of the branched elongated member 14 essentially constitutes an electrode suitable for generating a high-flow electron current (emitted by the tip), and the electron current moves perpendicular to the airflow F toward the second member 7 to which a positive voltage is applied or which is grounded.

[0044] Due to the branched shape of each elongated member 14, a high-flow electron current is generated from each elongated member, and the electron current occupies a wide passage area 10 with respect to the position of the base 14A from which each tip protrudes. In fact, the elongated members may expand conically toward the second member 7 to occupy most of the area within the passage 10. This generates a high flow rate of electrons from a single base 14A connected to the first member 6, and the purifier equipped with the ionization tank 2 described above can achieve nearly 100% removal performance for particles abbreviated as UFP or NP. Such performance is significantly higher than that which can be obtained with prior art, for example, those described in the prior patent documents mentioned above. In the ionization tank 2 according to the present invention, solid particles are not ionized by the solid particles passing around the tips of the elongated members 14 in an electron cloud generated by corona discharge, but rather by collisions with electron currents moving between the first and second members 6 and 7 of the ionization tank 2. These branched, elongated members 14 may be arranged in the same row, preferably in several consecutive rows, or appropriately staggered, to release an ultra-high density negative charge flow within the passage 10. Within the passage, air is drawn back into the passage by natural or forced convection, as is well known. For example, in the case of atmospheric air, the air is treated using a purifier, m 3 Solid particles present in the airflow F are typically moved by fans (of various types or sizes) according to the flow rate of / h. P Negatively charged electrons colliding with these solid particles negatively ionize them.

[0045] A high flow of negative charge is generated by all elongated members that are branched and expand conically, having a linear member and a tip, and these elongated members are arranged perpendicular to the air flow F, thereby being able to negatively charge particles having a size corresponding to fine particles, ultrafine particles or nanoparticles. It is clear that this occurs for any kind of solid particles, whether the solid particles are inert substances (e.g., ash, vehicle exhaust gas), organic substances, e.g., any kind or size of virus, bacteria or microorganism, or any solid particles transported by air.

[0046] The first member 6 and the second member 7 may be composed of a plurality of substantially linear bodies, for example, a plurality of substantially straight linear bodies as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 11, for example, rod bodies, or preferably, plate-like bodies.

[0047] FIGS. 8 and 9 show a modified example of the solution shown in FIG. 5, which includes an ionization section 2 having branched elongated members 14, that is, a plurality of linear members each having a tip 18. The elongated members project orthogonally from each of the parallel surfaces 6A, 6B of the first member 6 configured as a plate-like member (disposed between the second members 7 also formed in a plate-like shape) into a passage 10 through which the inflowing air flow (F IN ) moves to the outlet (F OUT ) that carries the negatively charged solid particles as described above.

[0048] As is clear, each of the first members 6 is negatively charged (a negative voltage is applied), while each of the second members 7 has a positive or negative voltage applied or is grounded (earthed).

[0049] Another modification of the present invention is shown in Figures 10 and 11. In this modification, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the components corresponding to those described earlier. In the solution of this modification, the ionization unit 2 comprises a plurality of first components 6, each having a plurality of branched elongated components 14, and these branched elongated components have a shape similar to those shown in Figures 5 and 8 and face toward each of the second components 7. However, in this modification, the second component 7 interacts with the two first components 6 through the mutually parallel surfaces 7A and 7B of the second component. This is evident except for the case of each of the second components at both ends of the polygonal body 5 of the ionization tank 1. As mentioned earlier, each of the first components 6 is negatively charged, while each of the second components is grounded (or earthed), i.e., connected to the positive electrode of the power supply.

[0050] In the case of the first and second members 6 and 7, which are provided back-to-back across the side members, i.e., end members 8 and 9, it goes without saying that an appropriate insulator is provided between the first and second members.

[0051] In all embodiments, the distance between the first member 6 and the second member 7 is determined according to the applied voltage.

[0052] In a truly non-limiting example, the first member 6 may be subjected to 6KV, and the distance may be between 20mm and 30mm. By adjusting the voltage (negative voltage) of the first member and the distance between the first and second members 6 and 7, the applied effect on solid particles abbreviated as UFP or NP can be increased, as well as expanding the surface area of ​​the first and second members 6 and 7. Furthermore, the voltage, distance, and area expansion may be adjusted according to the amount of air being processed, which is several cubic meters per hour (e.g., 10 m³). 3 From tens of thousands of cubic meters (e.g., 10 x 10) per hour 3 m 3 / h~50×10 3 m 3 It also falls within the range of / h).

[0053] The materials for the first and second members 6 and 7, and the elongated member 14, are selected from conductive materials that are known in themselves (e.g., copper), and similarly, the insulating material for the end members 8 and 9 is also selected from types that are known in themselves.

[0054] Regarding the recovery unit 3 (see Figures 1, 2, and 11), which together with the ionization tank 1 constitutes the ion-type air purifier 100, the recovery unit flows out from the ionization unit 2 (the recovery unit 3 is located downstream of the ionization unit 2 of the ionization tank 1 in the direction of airflow) and carries negatively charged solid particles present in the airflow F out It is composed of a collection of plates (or tubes) that have a shape and size capable of receiving the force.

[0055] When the recovery unit is composed of plates, the plate assembly of the recovery unit 3 comprises two or more pairs of plates 30 and 31, with a positive voltage applied to the first plate 30 of each pair, and a negative voltage applied to the second plate 31, or grounded, or neither negative nor grounded (i.e., in a neutral point potential state). Therefore, each pair of plates 30 and 31 is exposed to the airflow F flowing out from the ionization unit. out A passage 33 is defined, and within the passage, negatively charged solid particles are attracted to the first plate 30 (to which a positive voltage is applied) and repelled by the second plate 31 to which a negative charge is applied, or they are not affected by plates that are neither negatively charged nor grounded (i.e., in a neutral point potential state). In this way, the solid particles are collected by the first plate 30, which is cleaned in a subsequent process (if necessary) in a manner known to the present day.

[0056] Figure 11 illustrates an example in which the recovery unit 3 is connected to a power supply 35 that supplies power to the first plate 30 and applies a desired appropriate voltage to the second plate 32.

[0057] Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the recovery unit 3 may be equipped with a plurality of appropriate ultraviolet lamps in suitable locations to irradiate the surface of the first plate 30 on which organic contaminants (consisting of viruses, bacteria, spores, mold, fungi, etc.) have accumulated, thereby inactivating the organic contaminants. In this way, not only can solid particles such as UFP or NP be removed from the purified airflow, but inactivated viruses, bacteria, spores, mold, fungi, etc. (which are in a state where they cannot infect or self-replicate) can also be removed from the purified airflow.

[0058] Therefore, the ion-type air purifier 100 removes solid particles, which consist of inert or biologically active fine particles, from the indoor environment to a certain extent (cm²). 3 In chimney dust and exhaust gases from internal combustion engine vehicles, the following amounts are found per centimeter: tens or tens of thousands of particles. 3 Even ultrafine solid particles, or nanoparticles, of a magnitude of several hundred thousand per unit can be filtered and purified from the air.

[0059] These results are achieved by the ionization tank according to the present invention, which can ionize high-density fine particles, ultrafine particles, or nanoparticles in soot and exhaust gas in a manner different from that used in conventional air purifiers. Even after the soot or exhaust gas has passed through a violent flow of electrons, the depth of the electron flow can be measured, and therefore the time required for solid particles to pass through the violent flow of electrons can be determined, and the negative charge of the solid particles can be increased. As a result, it becomes easier to capture these particles one after another as they pass through the electric field generated by the plate (or pipe) that serves as the positive electrode of the ionization tank 3.

[0060] When high-flow soot or exhaust gas contains high concentrations of fine particles, ultrafine particles, or nanoparticles, there is a greater need to use an extremely efficient ionization device that utilizes a high-flow electron stream ejected from a tip 18 inside the ionization tank. An appropriate negative voltage is applied to the tip towards the second member 7. An appropriate positive voltage is applied to the second member, or it is grounded. The electron flow path, i.e., the space through which fine particles, ultrafine particles, or nanoparticles flow in the high-flow electron stream, can be extended simply by increasing the depth of the ionization tank, i.e., the depth between the first and second members 6 and 7.

[0061] In the ionization chamber according to the present invention, the number of electrons emitted from a number of chips 18 in a series of consecutive rows, powered by a negative voltage, and attracted by the positive electric field of the second member 7 increases even further. Furthermore, since the electron flow moves perpendicular to the airflow of soot, exhaust gas, or the indoor environment, solid particles in these pass through an even larger electron flow and are exposed to a large negative charge that facilitates particle capture, so that the air purifier as a whole can achieve an extremely high removal rate compared to the removal rate obtained using conventional solutions. This is particularly remarkable with respect to ultrafine and nanofine particles (with dimensions of 1 nm to 100 nm) that are normally present at high densities in soot and exhaust gas, and even in the air of the indoor environment, as described above.

[0062] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, many other modifications can be devised based on the above description without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as described in the claims.

Claims

1. An ionization tank (1) suitable for negatively charging fine solid particles, ultrafine solid particles, and nanoparticles present in an airflow or airflow of indoor environment air composed of soot or vehicle exhaust gases, The aforementioned airflow is suitable for removing these particles, The ionization cell (1) that performs the negative charging is suitable for the solid particles (P) contained in the airflow (F) to be negatively charged as they pass through the ionization cell (1), The ionization cell (1) has a main body (5) that constitutes an ionization section (2) comprising a long, narrow first member (6) and a second member (7) facing each other. A negative voltage is applied to the first member (6) so as to produce a different potential from that of the second member (7). The first and second members (6, 7) constitute a passage (10) for the airflow (F), The first member (6) supports a plurality of elongated members (14) with pointed tips, and the elongated members protrude into the passage (10) perpendicular to the airflow (F), generating an electron flow toward the second member (7), which intersects with the solid particles (P) present in the airflow, thereby negatively charging the solid particles without utilizing corona discharge in an ionization tank. An ionization tank characterized in that each of the multiple elongated members (14) with pointed tips that protrude into the passage (10) through which the airflow (F) moves has a branched shape, and each of the elongated members has multiple linear members equipped with a tip (18) at which the electron flow is generated.

2. The ionization tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the multiple branched, elongated members (14) with pointed tips are arranged in the same row on the first member (6) or in different rows.

3. The ionization tank according to claim 2, characterized in that each of the elongated members with pointed tips is provided with a base (14A) connected to the first member (6), the linear member having the tip (18) protrudes from the base, and the linear member branches out from the base.

4. The ionization tank according to claim 3, characterized in that the linear member having the tip (18) expands conically on the base (14A).

5. The ionization tank according to claim 1, wherein the first member (6) and / or the second member (7) are in the form of a linear structure, and the second member is subjected to a positive voltage or is grounded.

6. The ionization tank according to claim 1, wherein the first member (6) and / or the second member (7) are in the form of a flat or curved plate, and the second member is subjected to a positive voltage or is grounded.

7. The ionization tank according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the first member (6) is parallel to the second member (7).

8. The ionization tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the first member (6) of the main body (5) of the ionization unit (2) has two opposing surfaces (6A, 6B) that support a plurality of elongated members with pointed ends, and each of the surfaces (6A, 6B) is provided facing the second member (7) of the main body (5) of the ionization unit (2).

9. The ionization tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the ionization unit (2) has a plurality of first members (6) between a plurality of second members (7), each of the airflow passages (10) is provided between the first members and the second members, and the ionization unit (2) has a plurality of airflow passages (10) within the ionization unit (2).

10. The ionization tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second members (6, 7) are supported by end members (8, 9) formed of at least partially insulated material.

11. The ionization tank according to claim 1, characterized in that the solid particles are composed of an inert substance such as ash, or a biologically active substance such as a virus, bacteria, spores, mold, or fungus.

12. An ion-type air purifier suitable for purifying an airflow (F) containing ultrafine solid particles (P) and nanoparticles passing through an air purifier (100), The air purifier (100) has an ionization unit (2) and a recovery unit (3), The ionization unit (2) is suitable for negatively charging the solid particles (P) without utilizing corona discharge when the solid particles contained in the airflow (F) pass through the ionization unit (2) of the air purifier (100). The recovery unit (3) is suitable for recovering the negatively charged solid particles (P) at the outlet of the ionization unit (2) and removing the solid particles from the airflow (F). The recovery unit (3) is provided downstream of the ionization unit (2) in the direction of the airflow (F), The recovery unit (3) comprises at least two plates (30, 31), wherein the first plate (30) has a positive voltage value and the second plate (31) has a negative voltage value, or is grounded, or is at neutral potential. The at least two plates (30, 31) define a passage for the airflow (Foot) flowing out from the ionization section (2), In an ion-type air purifier, the first plate (30) attracts the negatively charged solid particles (P) present in the airflow (F), thereby removing the negatively charged solid particles (P) from the airflow. The ionization unit (2) is provided within the ionization tank (1) described in claim 1, characterized in that it is an ion-type air purifier.

13. The ionization vessel according to claim 12, characterized in that the first plate (30) cooperates with at least one ultraviolet lamp to attract and inactivate the biologically active particles to the first plate (30).

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