Method and apparatus for moving, filtering and ionizing air

An apparatus for moving air, comprising:

• a housing having a tubular portion, an inlet end adapted to receive air and an outlet end adapted to exhaust air;
• a needle electrode disposed with said housing and extending in a longitudinal direction;
• a net electrode disposed within said housing on an outlet side of said needle electrode and extending in a transverse direction;
• and
• a power supply coupled to said needle electrode and to said net electrode and configured to apply a potential difference between said needle electrode and said net electrode to form a longitudinally asymmetric electric field capable of ionizing air molecules and accelerating air molecules toward the outlet end of the housing, thereby producing an air flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of said housing,
• wherein said net electrode is curved and presents a concave surface to said needle electrode.

An apparatus for moving air, comprising:

• a housing having a tubular portion, an inlet end adapted to receive air and an outlet end adapted to exhaust air;
• a needle electrode disposed with said housing and extending in a longitudinal direction;
• a net electrode disposed within said housing on an outlet side of said needle electrode and extending in a transverse direction;
• and
• a power supply coupled to said needle electrode and to said net electrode and configured to apply a potential difference between said needle electrode and said net electrode to form a longitudinally asymmetric electric field capable of ionizing air molecules and accelerating air molecules toward the outlet end of the housing, thereby producing an air flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of said housing, wherein:
• said housing further includes a flared confuser terminating at the inlet end;
• an interior transverse linear dimension DC of said confuser at the inlet end is in the range between 1.0 and 1.5 times an interior transverse linear dimension DT of the tubular portion of said housing;
• and
• a length L1 of said conflser in the longitudinal direction is in the range between 0.1 and 0.5 times said dimension DT.

An apparatus for moving air, comprising:

• a housing having a tubular portion, an inlet end adopted to receive air and an outlet end adapted to exhaust air;
• a needle electrode disposed with said housing and extending in a longitudinal direction;
• a net electrode disposed within said housing on an outlet side of said needle electrode and extending in a transverse direction;
• a power supply coupled to said needle electrode and to said net electrode and configured to apply a potential difference between said needle electrode and said net electrode to form a longitudinally asymmetric electric field capable of ionizing air molecules and accelerating air molecules toward the outlet end of the housing, thereby producing an air flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of said housing,
• a tubular duct electrode disposed within said housing on the outlet side of said net electrode, said tubular duct electrode collecting particles precipitated from the air;
• and
• a conducting pivot electrically connected to said net electrode and extending coaxially with said tubular duct electrode along at least a portion of said tubular duct electrode in the longitudinal direction, said conducting pivot facilitating precipitation of said particles, wherein:
• a length L5 of said duct electrode in the longitudinal direction is in the range between 0.3 and 0.5 times an interior transverse linear dimension DT of the tubular portion of said housing;
• a distance L6 from the inlet end to a nearest point on said duct electrode is in the range between 2 and 2.5 times said dimension DT;
• and
• a length L7 of said pivot in the longitudinal direction is in the range between 1.0 and 1.1 times said dimension DT.

A method of moving air, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a tubular housing having an inlet end for receiving air and an outlet end for exhausting air;
• b) extending a needle electrode in a longitudinal direction within the tubular housing, such that a distance L2 from the inlet end to a tip of said needle electrode is in the range between 0.7 and 1.5 times an interior transverse linear dimension DT of the tubular portion of said housing;
• c) mounting a net electrode within the tubular housing in a transverse direction on an outlet side of the needle electrode, such that a distance L3 from the inlet end to a closest surface of said net electrode is in the range between 1.3 and 2.0 times said dimension DT;
• d) applying an electric potential between the needle electrode and the net electrode to form a longitudinally asymmetric electric field capable of ionizing air molecules and accelerating air molecules toward the outlet end of the housing, thereby producing an air flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of the housing.

A method of moving air, comprising the steps of:

• a) provident a tubular housing having an inlet end for receiving air and an outlet end for exhausting, air;
• b) extending a needle electrode in a longitudinal direction within the tubular housing;
• c) mounting a curved net electrode, which presents a concave surface to the needle electrode, within the tubular housing in a transverse direction on an outlet side of the needle electrode;
• d) applying an electric potential between the needle electrode and the net electrode to form a longitudinally asymmetric electric field capable of ionizing air molecules and accelerating air molecules toward the outlet end of the housing, thereby producing an air flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of the housing.

An apparatus for moving air, comprising:

• an array of air-moving cells, each of said cells including:
• a longitudinally-extending tubular housing having an inlet end adapted to receive air and an outlet end adapted to exhaust air;
• a needle electrode disposed with said housing and extending in a longitudinal direction;
• a net electrode disposed within said housing on an outlet side of said needle electrode and extending in a transverse direction;
• and
• a power supply coupled to said needle electrode of each of said cells and to said net electrode of each of said cells and configured to apply a potential difference between said needle electrode and said net electrode to form a longitudinally asymmetric electric field capable of ionizing air molecules and accelerating air molecules toward the outlet end of said housing of each of said cells, thereby producing an air flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of said housing of each of said cells;
• said cells being arranged such that said cells produce an air flow in substantially a same direction.