AC Ionizer Orifice Placement for Gas Ion Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
AC ionizers with nozzles face inefficiencies in static charge neutralization due to recombination and grounding losses, as gas ions are held by strong electrostatic forces and have high discharge times, despite nozzle enhancements.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an orifice within a placement zone between adjacent ionizing electrodes, which reduces gas ion discharge times and enhances harvesting by minimizing electrostatic field constraints and promoting gas ion flow towards the charged object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If nozzles with flowing gas are used to reduce recombination and grounding losses, then gas ion delivery efficiency is improved, but gas ion discharge time increases due to strong electrostatic forces holding ions at the ionizer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the gas flow path into multiple segments by introducing additional nozzles at different positions and angles around the ionizing electrode. This segmentation allows gas ions to be delivered through multiple separate flow paths, reducing the time ions are held by electrostatic forces and enabling faster discharge while maintaining delivery efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces nozzles that deliver gas flow from multiple spatial dimensions (different angles and positions) rather than a single direction. This multi-dimensional approach allows gas ions to be propelled toward the charged object through various paths, reducing discharge time while maintaining efficient delivery by overcoming the limitation of single-direction flow.
2Loss of time
If more nozzles and ionizing electrodes are added to reduce discharge time, then gas ion delivery efficiency improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes each nozzle multi-functional by positioning them to serve multiple purposes: delivering gas flow for ion propulsion, creating protective barriers around ionizing electrodes, and contributing to overall ion delivery efficiency. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve reduced discharge times without proportionally increasing the number of components, as each component performs multiple functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated nozzle design that simultaneously provides gas flow delivery, electrode protection, and ion propulsion assistance. By merging these functions into unified components rather than separate elements, the system reduces overall complexity while achieving the desired reduction in gas ion discharge time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The use of orifices in AC ionizers reduces gas ion discharge times and increases ion availability for static charge neutralization, achieving performance comparable to systems with twice the number of nozzles and ionizing electrodes without orifices.
Implementation Method 1
the flowing gas from the nozzle propels the gas ions toward a charged object targeted for neutralization, which reduces the transport time and conserves the ions
Implementation Method 2
These gas ions are typically created by applying a high voltage to ionizing electrodes
Implementation Method 3
Positive gas ions neutralize negative static charges, and negative gas ions neutralize positive static charges
Data Source
AI summary
At least one orifice is added to an AC ionizer with nozzles and ionizing electrodes that are used to remove static charge. The orifice is placed in a location where electrostatic forces are weak and where gas ions can be easily extracted from the ionizer. Ionizer effectiveness is enhanced by recovering gas ions that are normally trapped between the nozzles and under a portion of the ionizer from which the nozzles project. Without the orifice properly positioned, the trapped gas ions are lost by recombination or grounding. With the orifice positioned in an area of weak electrostatic forces, more gas ions are available for discharging the charged object. The combined air consumption of nozzles plus at least one orifice is the same or less than nozzles alone would consume for a given discharge time.