System and method for an electrostatic bypass

Abstract

An electrostatic bypass system and method as disclosed utilizes corona wires extending laterally across the flow path upstream of the section of the flow path of concern. The corona wires can be arranged to form a mesh across the flow path and can be powered by a power source to ionize the air surrounding the wires to thereby apply an electrostatic charge to the particulates as they pass through an ionized section of air proximate the wires.

Claims

1. A particulate bypass system comprising: an electrically charged corona wire mesh electrically coupled to a power source and extending across a particulate flow path having a particulate flow direction, where the corona wire mesh is one of a positive corona wire mesh or a negative corona wire mesh, where the power source applies a voltage to the corona wire mesh sufficient to ionize a fluid proximate the corona wire mesh to apply an electrostatic charge to one or more particles flowing through the corona wire mesh with one of an electrostatic positive charge or an electrostatic negative charge; and a fluid exchanger disposed in the particulate flow path downstream with respect to the corona wire mesh, said fluid exchanger having: an array of fins extending across the particulate flow path having a fin charge that is one of a positive fin charge or a negative fin charge applied to one or more of the fins of the array, where a polarity of the fin charge and the polarity of the electrostatic charge are the same to repel the particles away from the array of fins as the particles flow through the fluid exchanger, the array of fins forming a core of the fluid exchanger and the fins are configured to form one or more flow channels through the fluid exchanger; wherein a corona voltage having a corona wire voltage amplitude is applied to the corona wire mesh and the corona voltage amplitude is sufficient to cause an electric corona discharge thereby ionizing air in the particulate flow path sufficient to apply an electrostatic charge to the one or more particles sufficient to repel the one or more particles away from the one or more fins, where the corona voltage amplitude is based on an anticipated average particle mass; and wherein a fin voltage is applied to the one or more fins of the array of fins having a fin voltage amplitude sufficient to repel the one or more particles away from the one or more fins, wherein the fin voltage amplitude is based on the anticipated average particle mass.

2. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 1, where the fluid exchanger is an air exchanger.

3. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 2, where the air exchanger is an air-to-air heat exchanger and the array of fins form a core of the air-to-air heat exchanger and said array of fins are configured to form one or more flow channels through the air-to-air heat exchanger.

4. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 3, where the one or more fins of the array of fins form the walls of the one or more flow channels and where the one or more fins of the array of fins repel the particles away from the one or more fins inward into the one or more flow channels.

5. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 1, where the fin voltage is adjustable to increase or decrease a number of elementary charges in the one or more fins.

6. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 5, where the corona voltage is adjustable to increase or decrease the ionization of air surrounding the corona wire mesh.

7. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 6, where the corona voltage and the fin voltage are applied with a battery.

8. A method for a particulate bypass system comprising: applying a corona voltage having a corona voltage amplitude to a corona wire mesh extending across a fluid path using a power source electrically coupled with the corona wire mesh, where the corona voltage amplitude is based on an average anticipated particle mass; electrostatically charging with one of an electrostatic positive charge or an electrostatic negative charge one or more particles flowing along a fluid path in a particulate flow direction upstream with respect to a fluid exchanger using the corona wire mesh, where: said electrostatic charge is one of an electrostatic positive charge or an electrostatic negative charge; the corona wire mesh is one of a positive corona wire mesh or a negative corona wire mesh; and the corona voltage applied to the corona wire mesh is sufficient to ionize a fluid proximate the wire mesh, thereby applying an electrostatic charge to the one or more particles flowing through the corona wire mesh; providing a fluid exchanger having an array of fins forming a core of the fluid exchanger and the fins are configured to form walls one or more flow channels across the particulate flow path; applying a wall charge to an open ended channel wall extending substantially parallel with respect to the particulate flow direction, where the wall charge applied to the channel wall is one of a positive wall charge or a negative wall charge, and where a polarity of the wall charge and a polarity of the electrostatic charge are the same, thereby repelling particles away from the channel wall as the particles flow in the channel wall; applying a fin charge that is one of a positive fin charge or a negative fin charge to one or more fins of the array of fins, where a polarity of the fin charge and the polarity of the electrostatic charge are the same; and repelling the particles having the one of the electrostatic positive charge and the electrostatic negative charge away from the walls of the one or more flow channels as the particles flow through the fluid exchanger, where: the corona voltage is sufficient to cause an electric corona discharge thereby ionizing air within the particulate flow path sufficient to apply an electrostatic charge to the one or more particles.

9. The method of particle bypass as recited in claim 8, where the fluid exchanger is an air exchanger.

10. The method of particulate bypass as recited in claim 9, where the air exchanger is an air-to-air heat exchanger and the array of fins form a core of the air-to-air heat exchanger and said array of fins are configured to form one or more flow channels through the air-to-air heat exchanger.

11. The method of particulate bypass as recited in claim 8, further comprising: applying a fin voltage having a fin voltage amplitude to the one or more fins of the array of fins, where the fin voltage amplitude is sufficient to repel the one or more particles away from the one or more fins, where the fin voltage amplitude is based on the anticipated average particle mass.

12. The method of particulate bypass as recited in claim 11, further comprising: adjusting the fin voltage to increase or decrease the number of elementary charges in the one or more fins.

13. The method of particulate bypass as recited in claim 12, further comprising: adjusting the corona voltage to increase or decrease the ionization of air surrounding the corona wire mesh.

14. A particulate bypass system comprising: a corona wire mesh extending across a particulate flow path, the particulate flow path having a particulate flow direction, wherein the corona wire mesh is configured to have an electrostatic charge applied thereto, where the electrostatic charge comprises a first electrical polarity and a corona voltage having an amplitude; an open ended channel wall providing at least part of a channel, the open ended channel wall extending parallel to the particulate flow direction; and an array of fins extending across the particulate flow path and providing at least one flow channel through a core of a fluid exchanger, wherein: the amplitude of the corona voltage is sufficient to ionize a fluid proximate the corona wire mesh and to electrostatically charge a plurality of particles within the particulate flow path to form a plurality of electrostatically charged particles; the amplitude of the corona voltage is based on an anticipated average mass of the plurality of particles; one or more fins of the array of fins is configured to have an electrostatic charge applied thereto, where the electrostatic charge applied to the one or more fins comprises a second electrical polarity which is the same as the first electrical polarity and a fin voltage that is sufficient to repel the plurality of electrostatically charged particles; and the fin voltage is based on the anticipated average particle mass of the plurality of particles.

15. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 14, where the fin voltage is adjustable to increase or decrease a number of elementary charges in the one or more fins.

16. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 15, where the corona voltage is adjustable to increase or decrease the ionization of air surrounding the corona wire mesh.

17. The particulate bypass system as recited in claim 16, where the corona voltage and the fin voltage are applied with at least one battery.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a better understanding of the present technology as disclosed, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1, is an illustration of CACTCS air conditioning pack;

(3) FIG. 2, is an illustration of an array of fins of a heat exchanger;

(4) FIG. 3, is an illustration of a flow channel and an open-ended channel wall;

(5) FIG. 4, is a graphical illustration of modeling of a particle path;

(6) FIG. 5, is a graphical illustration of the modeling of a particle path;

(7) FIGS. 6A-6C, are graphical illustrations of the components of a particle path;

(8) FIG. 7 is a graphical illustration of the modeling of a particle velocity versus the y-position;

(9) FIG. 8, is an illustration of an air flow system;

(10) FIGS. 9A-9C, is an illustration of an air flow system with a corona mesh; and

(11) FIG. 10 is a graphical illustration of the elementary charges applied to a particle of a certain diameter base on the parametric of the electric field.

(12) While the technology as disclosed is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific implementations thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular implementations as disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present technology as disclosed and as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION

(13) According to the implementation(s) of the present technology as disclosed, various views are illustrated in FIGS. 1-10 and like reference numerals are being used consistently throughout to refer to like and corresponding parts of the technology for all of the various views and figures of the drawing. Also, please note that the first digit(s) of the reference number for a given item or part of the technology should correspond to the Fig. number in which the item or part is first identified.

(14) One implementation of the present technology as disclosed comprising electrically charged particles flowing through an electrically charged fluid exchange teaches a novel system and method for implementing an electrostatic bypass in a fluid flow system. The details of the technology as disclosed and various implementations can be better understood by referring to the figures of the drawing.

(15) Referring to FIG. 1, an illustration of CACTCS air conditioning pack 100 is provided. The air conditioning pack 100 is provided for one illustration of an implementation of the electrostatic bypass technology disclosed herein in a fluid flow system. However, the electrostatic bypass technology could be implemented in various other fluid flow systems without departing from the scope of the technology as disclosed herein. The air conditioning pack 100 is an example of an air flow system having an air inlet 102 and fluid exchanger 104 that is downstream with respect to the air inlet 102. The fluid exchanger 104 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a air-to-air heat exchanger. Air can flow downstream from the air inlet 102 to the fluid exchanger 104. Air can flow downstream from the fluid exchanger and out of the air outlet 106 or the air exhaust 108.

(16) Referring to FIG. 2, an illustration of an array of fins of a heat exchanger is provided. As indicated, the fluid exchanger 104 as illustrated in FIG. 1, can be an air-to-air heat exchanger. The fluid exchanger 104, in this example, can have an array of fins 202, including one or more fins 200. The fins 200 can form a channel 206, which can also be referred to as a flow channel through which air flows. The fins 200 can form an open-ended channel wall 204 about the channel 206.

(17) Referring to FIG. 3, an illustration of a fin 200 forming a channel 206, having an open-ended channel wall 204 formed by the fin 200. The open-ended channel wall 204 can have a negative wall charge 302. The channel 206 and the open-ended channel wall 204 extend substantially in parallel with respect to a particulate flow path 314 and a particulate flow direction 310. The negative wall charge 302 as illustrated will repel a negatively charged particle 312 with a repelling force 304, due to the wall charge and the particle charge having the same polarity. The charged particle 312 will travel along the particle flow path 314 along with the surrounding air 308 flowing along the particle flow path 314.

(18) Referring to FIG. 4, a 3-dimensional graphical illustration 400 of a mathematical model of a modeled particle path 402 is shown when a charge has been applied to the particle and the particle is being repelled by the force created by the charged channel wall having the same polarity. Other graphical illustrations of the mathematical model are provided in FIGS. 5 through 7. Referring to FIG. 5, a 2-dimensional graphical illustration 500 of a mathematical model of a modeled particle path 502 is shown when a charge has been applied to the particle and the particle is being repelled by the force created by the charged channel wall having the same polarity. Referring to FIGS. 6A-6C, a separate component graphical illustration of a mathematical model of a modeled particle path is shown when a charge has been applied to the particle and the particle is being repelled by the force created by the charged channel wall having the same polarity. Referring to FIG. 7, a graphical illustration of the modeling of a particle velocity versus the y-position is shown. As shown, the particle can slow down in the Y-direction until it travels proximately to the middle of the channel Once past the middle area, the particle can accelerate.

(19) Referring to FIG. 8, an illustration of a fluid flow system is shown including a fluid exchanger 104. The illustration is a simplified diagram of the airflow system illustrated in FIG. 1, where the fluid exchanger is downstream with respect to an air inlet 102. A particulate flow direction 310 is illustrated. The particles are shown traversing along a particle flow path and accumulating at the fluid exchanger, which would result in the fluid exchanger 104 having to be removed and cleaned or replaced. Referring to FIGS. 9A-9C, an illustration of a fluid flow system is shown with a corona wire mesh 902 extending across the particulate flow path upstream with respect to the fluid exchanger 104, between the fluid exchanger 104 and the air inlet 102.

(20) The arrangement creates a particulate bypass system including an electrically charged corona wire mesh 902 electrically coupled to a power source (for example a battery 904), and extending across a particulate flow path having a particulate flow direction 310. The corona wire mesh can be one of a positive corona wire mesh or a negative corona wire mesh.

(21) FIG. 9 illustrates a negative corona wire mesh. The power source (for example a battery 904) can apply a voltage to the corona wire mesh 902 sufficient to ionize a fluid proximate the corona wire mesh to apply an electrostatic charge to one or more particles 906 flowing through the corona wire mesh with one of an electrostatic positive charge or an electrostatic negative charge. An electrostatic negative charge is illustrated in FIG. 9.

(22) A fluid exchanger can be disposed in the particulate flow path downstream with respect to the corona wire mesh 902. The fluid exchanger 104 can have a channel having an open ended channel wall extending substantially parallel with respect to the particulate flow direction 310. A wall charge can be applied to the channel wall that is one of a positive wall charge or a negative wall charge. A polarity of the wall charge and a polarity of the electrostatic charge can be the same, as illustrated, to repel particles away from the channel wall as the particles flow through the fluid exchanger 104.

(23) The fluid exchanger has an array of fins, as illustrated in FIG. 2, extending across the particulate flow path, and can have a fin charge that is one of a positive fin charge or a negative fin charge applied to one or more of the fins of the array of fins. A polarity of the fin charge and the polarity of the electrostatic charge can be the same to repel the particles away from the array of fins as the particles flow through the fluid exchanger. As illustrated, the fluid exchanger can be an air exchanger, where the air exchanger can be an air-to-air heat exchanger and the array of fins can form a core of the air-to-air heat exchanger and said array of fins can be configured to form one or more flow channels through the air-to-air heat exchanger. The one or more fins of the array of fins, as illustrated in FIG. 2, can form the walls of the one or more flow channels and where the one or more fins of the array of fins repel the particles away from the one or more fins inward into the one or more flow channels.

(24) A corona voltage can applied to the corona wire mesh 310 having a corona voltage amplitude sufficient to cause an electric corona discharge to thereby ionize the surrounding air in the particulate flow path sufficient to apply an electrostatic charge to the one or more particles, and sufficient to repel the one or more particles away from the one or more fins, where the corona voltage amplitude is based on an anticipated average particle mass. A fin voltage can be applied by a power source (for examplebattery 908), to the one or more fins of the array of fins having a fin voltage amplitude sufficient to repel the one or more particles away from the one or more fins, where the fin voltage amplitude is based on the anticipated average particle mass. The fin voltage can be adjustable to increase or decrease the number of elementary charges in the one or more fins. The corona voltage can be adjustable to increase or decrease the ionization of the air surrounding the corona wire mesh.

(25) Referring to FIG. 10, a graphical illustration of the elementary charges that can be applied to a particle of a certain diameter based on the parametric of the electric field is shown.

(26) The various electrostatic bypass examples shown above illustrate a system and method for implementing an electrostatic bypass in a fluid flow system. A user of the present technology as disclosed may choose any of the above implementations, or an equivalent thereof, depending upon the desired application. In this regard, it is recognized that various forms of the subject electrostatic bypass system and method could be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention.

(27) As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present technology as disclosed are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. It is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications that do not depart from the scope of the present technology as disclosed and claimed.

(28) Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present technology as disclosed can be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims.