Low maintenance AC gas flow driven static neutralizer and method

A low maintenance AC gas flow driven static neutralizer, comprising:

• an emitter and a first reference electrode;
• a power supply having an output electrically coupled to said emitter and a reference terminal electrically coupled to said first reference electrode, said power supply disposed to produce an output waveform that creates ions by corona discharge and an electrical field when said output waveform is applied to said emitter;
• a gas flow source disposed to produce a gas flow across a first region that includes said ions and said emitter, said gas flow having a flow velocity;
• wherein, during a first time duration, said output waveform decreases an electrical force created by said electrical field, enabling said gas flow to carry away from said emitter a contamination particle that may be located within a second region surrounding said emitter, and to minimize a likelihood of said contamination particle from accumulating on said emitter;
• and
• further comprising a second reference electrode;
• and wherein said emitter and said first and second reference electrodes are part of an ionizing cell.

A method of limiting ion emitter contamination in an AC gas flow driven static neutralizer, the method comprising:

• providing a gas flow having a flow velocity;
• generating an output waveform that creates bipolar ions by corona discharge and an electrical field when said output waveform is applied an emitter of the static neutralizer, said electrical field resulting in an electrical force that attracts a gas-borne contamination particle that may be within a region surrounding said emitter, and said output waveform including an output waveform amplitude, an output waveform frequency, a burst portion and a blow-off portion;
• and
• enabling said gas flow to carry said contamination particle away from said emitter and to minimize a likelihood of said contamination particle from accumulating on said emitter during said blow-off portion.