US 4,670,026 A · Method and apparatus for electrostatic extraction of droplets from gaseous medium

Abstract

An apparatus for extraction of water droplets from air includes a corona array including an array of conductive pointed needles with a high voltage thereon adjacent to a grounded conductive collector. Water droplets are exposed to a strong electrostatic field gradient, causing water droplets in incoming air to rotate and move along the electric field gradient lines toward the shanks of the needles and coalesce thereon, forming larger droplets. The droplets move under the influence of an increasing field gradient toward the needle points, acquiring electrostatic charge from the needle. The droplets eventually are repelled from the needles, when electrostatic repulsion forces on the droplets exceed adhesion forces that decrease as the droplets increase in size during their migration. The repulsed droplets move under the influence of electric field to the collector. The resulting liquid accumulating on the collector is removed to reduce re-evaporation into the air. In one embodiment, the temperature of the needles are kept below the condensation point, and polar water molecules are directed by the gradient to the needle shanks.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method of extracting droplets from a gaseous medium, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of conductive, elongated, pointed elements each aimed directly at a conductive collector element and applying a voltage between the collector element and the plurality of pointed elements, creating an electric field;
(b) moving the gaseous medium between the pointed elements and the collector element;
(c) causing droplets in the gaseous medium to move toward and coalesce into droplets on shanks of the pointed elements under the influence of the electric field;
(d) causing the coalesced droplets to move along the shanks toward pointed tips of the pointed elements;
(e) causing the coalesced droplets to accumulate electrical charges from the pointed elements and be electrostatically repelled from the pointed elements toward the collector element as they approach high electric field intensity regions near the pointed tips;
(f) moving the repelled droplets to the collector element where they are collected thereon;
and
(g) removing the collected droplets from the collector element before they re-evaporate into the gaseous medium.

5 more elements

An apparatus for extracting droplets from a gaseous medium, the apparatus comprising in combination:

(a) a conductive collector element;
(b) a plurality of elongated, conductive, pointed elements, each pointed at the collector element;
(c) means for moving the gaseous medium between the pointed elements and the collector element;
(d) means for producing an electric field between the collector element and the poiqted elements to cause droplets of the gaseous medium to move toward shanks of the pointed elements and coalesce and form droplets on the shanks;
(e) means for causing the coalesced droplets to move along the shanks toward pointed tips of the pointed elements, the droplets accumulating electrical charge from the pointed elements;
(f) means for electrostatically repelling the coalesced droplets from the pointed elements when they move close to the pointed tips;
(g) means for moving the repelled droplets to the collector element where they are collected thereon;
and
(h) means for removing the droplets moved to the collector element from the collector element before they re-evaporate into the gaseous medium.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for electrostatic extraction of droplets from gaseous medium

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for electrostatic extraction of droplets from gaseous medium

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22