Air sample chamber for an electrostatic precipitation detector system
AssigneeDurridge Co.
InventorMordecai Veldt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Air sample chamber designs for improving electrostatic detection of particles by increasing the sensitivity of detecting radon gas in an air sample chamber. Examples includes convex shaped conductive elements disposed around a detector surface within an electrostatic participation detector chamber that form an effective electrostatic lens arrangement that increases an angle from which particles in the chamber are directed to the detector surface, which thereby increases the volume of the chamber above the detector surface from which charged particles can be captured.
Claims20
An electrostatic precipitation instrument comprising:
- a conductive vessel defining a volume configured to receive a gaseous fluid sample, the conductive vessel defining an interior region of the volume configured to have a particle detector disposed therein;
- a detector surface disposed within the interior region and configured to detect particles thereon, wherein the conductive vessel and the detector surface are configured to maintain a voltage difference therebetween, the voltage difference generating electric field lines along which charged particles within the volume will be directed towards the detector surface, a portion of the field lines extending from an interior surface of the conductive vessel to the detector surface;
- and
- a conductive convex surface of an inner wall of the conductive vessel configured to increase the curvature of field lines above the detector surface and thereby define a portion of the volume of the conductive vessel from which charged particles within a gaseous fluid sample can be captured by the detector surface.
An electrostatic precipitation instrument for detecting radon gas, the instrument comprising:
- a conductive vessel defining a volume configured to receive a gaseous fluid sample, the conductive vessel defining a convex surface encircling an interior region of the volume configured to have a particle detector disposed therein;
- and
- a detector surface disposed within the interior region and configured to detect polonium particles thereon using alpha spectrometry,
- wherein the conductive vessel and the detector surface are configured to maintain a voltage difference therebetween, the voltage difference generating electric field lines along which charged particles within the volume will be directed towards the detector surface, a portion of the field lines extending from an interior surface of the conductive vessel to the detector surface;
- wherein, when the voltage difference between the conductive vessel and the detector surface is established, the convex surface forms an electrostatic lens above the detector surface, the electrostatic lens being configured to influence the curvature of field lines above the detector surface and thereby define a portion of the volume of the conductive vessel from which charged particles from a gaseous fluid sample within conductive vessel can be captured by the detector surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.