An empirical model for ionic wind generation by a needle-to-cylinder dc corona discharge

We present the results of an experimental study on ionic wind generation by a needle-to-cylinder dc corona discharge. A strong electrical field in the air generates air flow driven by the motion of ionized gas molecules along electric field lines. We measured the ionic wind velocity and discharge current with respect to various electrode geometries, distances between electrodes, and applied voltages. Our measurements suggest an empirical model for the ionic wind velocity as a function of the geometric factors of the collector electrode and the applied electric potential, which is useful for designing ionic wind cooling systems for small electronics.     

Aeolian transport layer

We investigate the airborne transport of particles on a granular surface by the saltation mechanism through numerical simulation of particle motion coupled with turbulent flow. We determine the saturated flux q(s) and show that its behavior is consistent with classical empirical relations obtained from wind tunnel measurements. Our results also allow one to propose and explain a new relation valid for small fluxes, namely, q(s) = a(u*-u(t))alpha, where u* and u(t) are the shear and threshold velocities of the wind, respectively, and the scaling exponent is alpha approximately 2. We obtain an expression for the velocity profile of the wind distorted by the particle motion due to the feedback and discover a novel dynamical scaling relation. We also find a new expression for the dependence of the height of the saltation layer as a function of the wind velocity.     

基于小波的多极化机载合成孔径雷达海面风向反演

为了实现从合成孔径雷达(SAR)图像本身提取高精度的海面风向信息, 提高SAR海面风场反演精度,研究了多极化机载SAR海面风向反演技术, 借助小波分析相对傅里叶分析和局部梯度更精细的时-频分析能力, 将二维连续小波变换与快速傅里叶变换(FFT)相结合,提出一种新的机载SAR海面风向反演方法. 为验证反演方法的有效性,通过海上同步飞行试验获取多极化机载SAR数据及同步调查船实测风向数据,用于反演试验的数据比对.采用本文提出的方法, 利用多种小波基对机载C波段SAR的同极化和交叉极化数据进行风向反演, 将反演结果与美国国家环境预报中心再分析资料以及调查船实测风向进行比对. 结果表明,本文提出的基于小波分析的海面风向反演方法适用于机载SAR探测数据, 反演精度优于二维FFT法和局部梯度方法;小波基的选择对反演结果影响较大, Mexican-Hat小波基是机载SAR海面风向反演的最优小波基, 且同极化与交叉极化机载SAR数据均可用于海面风向的反演.     

直流式旋风除尘器流动特性及性能的试验研究

1前言近几十年来一些特殊场合的净化除尘问题显得尤为突出，如沙漠地带运行的汽车、坦克和直升机的发动机沙粒磨损所导致的进气中沙粒分离问题，一些电站和锅炉的引风机的固粒磨也会降低其效率和使用寿命，尽管电站一般使用了大型静电除尘装置，但由于烟气的温度较高，使除尘器中电极产生固粒积污现象，降低了其除尘效率。在发动机与风机前装设气固分离装置可降低叶轮机械的磨损，但这要求分离装置必须容积小、压降低及除尘效率高，现有的离心式气固分离设备还不能满足这些要求。本文提出研究发展轴向直流式旋风除尘装置来解决这种除尘问题…     

Enhancement of thin air jets produced by ring-shaped dielectric barrier discharges using an auxiliary electrode

A ring-shaped dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was explored as a small form factor ionic wind device. Using a concentric ring electrode geometry, the DBD produced a converging ionic wind that leads to a vertical flow away from the DBD electrodes. The vertical flow was channeled through an outlet nozzle to produce a thin air jet, and a grounded auxiliary electrode was placed at the nozzle to enhance the exit velocity. The inner diameter of the ring-shaped DBD electrode and the auxiliary electrode ranged 3.18–9.54 mm and 1.0–4.0 mm, respectively. Results showed that the auxiliary electrode generated an ionic wind velocity up to 3.7 m/s and increased the conversion efficiency from discharge to flow power by a factor of 30 by strengthening the electric field where the ions are accelerated.     

Evaluation of environmental filtration control of engineered nanoparticles using the Harvard Versatile Engineered Nanomaterial Generation System (VENGES)

Applying engineering controls to airborne engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is critical to prevent environmental releases and worker exposure. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two air sampling and six air cleaning fabric filters at collecting ENPs using industrially relevant flame-made engineered nanoparticles generated using a versatile engineered nanomaterial generation system (VENGES), recently designed and constructed at Harvard University. VENGES has the ability to generate metal and metal oxide exposure atmospheres while controlling important particle properties such as primary particle size, aerosol size distribution, and agglomeration state. For this study, amorphous SiO₂ ENPs with a 15.4 nm primary particle size were generated and diluted with HEPA-filtered air. The aerosol was passed through the filter samples at two different filtration face velocities (2.3 and 3.5 m/min). Particle concentrations as a function of particle size were measured upstream and downstream of the filters using a specially designed filter test system to evaluate filtration efficiency. Real time instruments (FMPS and APS) were used to measure particle concentration for diameters from 5 to 20,000 nm. Membrane-coated fabric filters were found to have enhanced nanoparticle collection efficiency by 20–46 % points compared to non-coated fabric and could provide collection efficiency above 95 %.     

Aeolian transport of sand

The airborne transport of particles on a granular surface by the saltation mechanism is studied through numerical simulation of particles dragged by turbulent air flow. We calculate the saturated flux q_s and show that its dependence on the wind strength u_* is consistent with several empirical relations obtained from experimental measurements. We propose and explain a new relation for fluxes close to the threshold velocity u_t, namely, q_s=a(u_*-u_t)^α with α≈2. We also obtain the distortion of the velocity profile of the wind due to the drag of the particles and find a novel dynamical scaling relation. We also obtain a new expression for the dependence of the height of the saltation layer as function of the strength of the wind.     

Nonlinear interaction between two components of motion upon precipitation of a heavy particle in a shear flow

When heavy particles move in a shear flow, the drag depends on the Reynolds number and, hence, on the magnitude of the particle velocity relatively to the medium. This leads to a nonlinear interaction between various components of motion. For example, when a particle precipitates in a horizontal air flow with vertical shear, it also acquires horizontal motion relative to air in addition to vertical motion. These two components of motion contribute to the hydrodynamic drag coefficient by affecting the Reynolds number and thereby influence each other. Steady motion of a particle in a flow with constant vertical shear is analyzed. Dimensionless criterion of significance of the nonlinear effect under consideration is determined. It is demonstrated that this effect can be significant in the near-surface atmospheric layer in the case of storm wind.     

Numerical analysis on the electrostatic capture of airborne nanoparticles and viruses in a homemade particle concentrator without a unipolar charger

A numerical analysis on the electrostatic capture of airborne viruses and nanoparticles in a homemade particle concentrator without a unipolar charger using commercial CFD software (CFD-ACE+) was presented. We simulated the effects of inlet/outlet configurations and particle diameters on the collection efficiency of the particle concentrator, and the simulation was in good agreement with the experimental measurements. We investigated the effects of the electrode arrangement on the collection efficiency. We also discussed the maximum collection efficiency and the relationship between the electric field intensity, the positions of the simulated particles on the inlet surface, and the collection efficiency.     

Collection and behaviour of radon progenies on thin Mylar foils

Thin Mylar foils are often used to protect detectors from contamination. However, these foils can be electrostatically charged, possibly leading to their contamination with airborne radon progenies. In the present work, the collection and behaviour of radon progenies on Mylar foils was investigated in detail using alpha spectrometry. The radon progenies collection rate of a small Mylar foil (3 cm²) is equivalent to an air sampler with a flow rate of approximately 0.1 m³/h. It was demonstrated that such contamination may jeopardise the validity of the entire analysis if not interpreted correctly.     

Simulation of winter air pollution dispersion mechanism of Kathmandu valley by water-tank experiment

The air pollution concentration in Kathmandu valley in the winter season was found to be higher than in the summer season due to the formation of the inversion layer. This mechanism was simulated in the water-tank experiment by measuring the temperature and flow field using liquid crystal thermometry and particle image velocimetry. Thermal stratification was made at the beginning of the experiment and the surface temperature of the valley model was changed with 12 minutes period matching the diurnal field temperature pattern of the Kathmandu valley. The updraft wind and Bernard convection occurred during daytime and downdraft wind and inversion layer were realized during nighttime. The temperature, flow field and mass dispersion characteristics obtained in the water-tank experiment explained clearly the mechanism of air pollution in Kathmandu valley.     

Development of high durability plasma filter for air circulating disinfection system

Deadly diseases are caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses that spread, among other means, through air circulating systems; hence, it is important to focus on pathogen removal from the air before circulating air through the system. Our paper introduces a novel plasma-based filter that, when used in an air circulating system with particulate air filter, disinfects the air flow. This device, based on dielectric filter discharge (DFD) structure with low pressure drops, indicates easy installation into existing air circulating system. Its performance was evaluated in accordance with the specifications of duct used in hospitals, with consistent O₃ generation during 200 h showing high durability. Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus were used as the target airborne bacteria; the system exhibited a removal efficiency of approximately 99.99% on bacterial aerosols and continuous bactericidal action, demonstrating that the DFD system can be directly applied to existing air circulating systems.     

Life-cycle assessment of engineered nanomaterials: a literature review of assessment status

The filtration of airborne nanoparticles is an important control technique as the environmental, health, and safety impacts of nanomaterials grow. A review of the literature shows that significant progress has been made on airborne nanoparticle filtration in the academic field in the recent years. We summarize the filtration mechanisms of fibrous and membrane filters; the air flow resistance and filter media figure of merit are discussed. Our review focuses on the air filtration test methods and instrumentation necessary to implement them; recent experimental studies are summarized accordingly. Two methods using monodisperse and polydisperse challenging aerosols, respectively, are discussed in detail. Our survey shows that the commercial instruments are already available for generating a large amount of nanoparticles, sizing, and quantifying them accurately. The commercial self-contained filter test systems provide the possibility of measurement for particles down to 15 nm. Current international standards dealing with efficiency test for filters and filter media focus on measurement of the minimum efficiency at the most penetrating particle size. The available knowledge and instruments provide a solid base for development of test methods to determine the effectiveness of filtration media against airborne nanoparticles down to single-digit nanometer range.     

低气压离子风推进器仿真与实验

离子风动力具有无需机械旋转部件、低功耗及低噪声等优点,在平流层飞艇和太阳能飞机上具有重要的应用潜力。模拟临近空间的低气压环境,采用“线-柱”电极结构电晕放电装置产生离子风,实验测量不同放电条件下离子风推进器产生的推力和推功比,研究了气压、放电电压、电极间隙对离子风动力的影响。仿真和实验结果表明,气压的降低会导致推进器推功比的下降,具体表现为：当电极间隙为2.0 cm,最大推功比由1 atm(1 atm=101 325 Pa)时的17.70 mN/W降低至0.02 atm时的0.24 mN/W;而推功比的损失可以通过增大电极间隙来补偿,当电极间隙增加至14 cm,在0.02 atm的气压环境下,推功比由0.24 mN/W升至0.70 mN/W。通过优化离子风推进器结构,增加电极间隙,离子风动力具备低气压环境下的应用潜力。     

C波段机载合成孔径雷达海面风场反演新方法

针对基于散射计地球物理模型函数的机载合成孔径雷达(SAR)海面风场反演中存在的风向获取依赖于图像风条纹或数值预报、 散射计数据和浮标等背景场资料, 风向与SAR图像时空分辨率不匹配, 进而影响机载SAR海面风场反演精度等问题, 本文根据机载SAR对海探测特点, 研究一种适用于C波段机载SAR的海面风场反演新方法. 利用SAR图像距离向不同入射角的后向散射系数, 依据地球物理模型构造最小代价函数, 通过代价函数的求解直接从机载SAR数据同时反演出海面风速和风向. 利用论文提出的海面风场反演方法分别对仿真SAR数据和实测C波段机载SAR数据进行风向、 风速的反演误差分析及试验验证.研究结果表明, 该方法适用于机载SAR海面风场反演, 可不依赖背景风向直接反演出精度较高的风速和风向; 雷达后向散射系数误差是决定海面风速、风向反演精度的关键因素, 辐射定标精度越高则反演误差越小; 海面风速反演误差随着风速的提高而增大, 当海面风速大于18 m/s时, 风速反演误差显著增加, 而海面风向的反演误差与风速无明显关系. 关键词： 机载合成孔径雷达 海面风场 多入射角     

Maximizing ion-driven gas flows

Gas flows of modest velocities are generated when an organized ion flux in an electric field initiates an ion-driven wind of neutral molecules. When a needle in ambient air is electrically charged to a potential sufficient to produce a corona discharge near its tip, such a gas flow can be utilized downstream of a ring-shaped or other permeable earthed electrode. In view of the potential practical applications of such devices, as they represent blowers with no moving parts, we investigate methodologies for increasing their flow velocities, both theoretically and by experiments. The parameters evaluated include divergence of electric field lines, avoidance of regions of high curvature on the second electrode, control of atmospheric humidity, and the use of linear arrays of stages, terminating in a converging nozzle. We find that the behavior of ionic wind generators is analogous to that of fans and our modifications have more than doubled the maximum previously reported ion-driven wind velocities.     

On the negative corona and ionic wind over water electrode surface

The DC corona discharge in air and the induced ionic wind were investigated in the needle-to-water system at atmospheric pressure. The water deformation was measured under various conditions, and wind pressure and active areas were estimated accordingly. The effects of applied voltage, gap spacing and tip radius on the corona ionic wind were studied and the qualitative analysis was provided. Self-rotation of corona discharge was observed in experiments. The results show that higher voltage or electric field strength results in a stronger ionic wind. The active area increases with applied voltage below a voltage threshold. There is an optimal gap distance for a wider as well as stronger ionic wind and blunter needle we used leads to an enhancement on both the active area and the wind strength. The wind velocity reaches 7 m/s at optimized condition in the present system. The rotation of corona discharge helps to improve the active area and uniformity of the treating area which may be associated with the chemical reaction of the water surface.     

Computational investigation toward selective collection of water particles containing odorous molecules by electrostatic spraying

The necessity of odor sensing has been increasing from environmental and health standpoints. Here, we propose the novel concept of a small device which can select odor molecules based on electrostatic spraying. For high selectivity of the target gas or odor, we conducted computational fluid dynamics coupled with an electrostatic field, as well as measurements by particle image velocimetry and anemometry. The computational model successfully reproduced characteristic features of ionic wind. Different trajectories of charged particles were computationally obtained owing to their electrical mobility. The results imply that different materials might be separated by the arrangement of the collecting electrode.     

Experimental investigation of cooling of a plate by ionic wind from a corona-forming wire electrode

We report on the results of experimental investigations of the kinematic structure of ionic wind from a wire electrode placed near a heated plate, which plays the role of the earthed electrode. Experiments are carried out in a wide range of voltages for different polarities of the wire for several values of the electrode gap. We compare the structures of the flows emerging as a result of natural convection in open air for different positions of the plate and in the presence of a fast ionic wind jet that considerably intensifies heat transfer in the boundary layer at the heated planar electrode. Local temperature distributions over the plate surface are obtained, as well as the integral dependences of the effective heat removal on the electric parameters of the corona discharge. The velocity of air flows with ionic wind reaches 4 m/s, and the heat power removed from the plate for fixed overheating increases ninefold compared to the situation with natural convection.     

Electrohydrodynamic flow patterns and collection efficiency in narrow wire-cylinder type electrostatic precipitator

Recently, narrow electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) have become a subject of interest because of their possible application for the cleaning of the exhaust gases emitted by diesel engines. Diesel engines emit fine particles, which are harmful to human and animal health. There are several methods for decrease particulate emission from a diesel engines, but up to now, these methods are not enough effective or very expensive. Therefore, an electrostatic precipitation was proposed as an alternative method for control of a diesel particulate emission.In this work, results of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) secondary flow and particle collection efficiency measurements in a narrow wire-cylinder type ESP are presented. The ESP was a glass cylinder (300 mm × 29 mm) equipped with a wire discharge electrode and two collecting cylinder-electrodes. A 0.23 mm in diameter and 100 mm long stainless-steel discharge wire electrode was mounted in the center of the cylinder, parallel to the main flow direction. The collecting electrodes were made of stainless steel cylinders, each with a length of 100 mm and inner diameter of 25.5 mm. An air flow seeded with a cigarette smoke was blown along the ESP duct with an average velocity of 0.9 m/s.The EHD secondary flow was measured using 2-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) method. The PIV measurements were carried out in the wire electrode mid-plane, perpendicularly to the wire and the collecting electrodes. The results show similarities and differences of the particle flow in the wire-cylinder type ESP for a negative and a positive DC voltage polarity.The collection efficiency was calculated from the fractional particle concentration. The fractional particle concentration was measured using the optical aerosol spectrometer. The results of the fractional collection efficiency confirmed the common view that the collection efficiency of fine particles in the ESP increases with increasing voltage and it is higher for negative voltage polarity and decreases when decreasing particle diameter.