INVESTIGATION OF ELECTRIFICATION OF POWDERS IN FLOW THROUGH TUBES AND NOZZLES. I. A CHARGE ANALYZER

Abstract

As a part of an investigation of the electrification of powders in flow through tubes and nozzles, a charge analyzer has been designed, constructed, and tested. The charge analyzer has two electrodes at + or - 1000 volts with respect to ground. At a stationary state, the current from each electrode is equal to the rate of deposition of charge. The two currents are recorded and integrated with a planimeter. The electrodes are weighed on a micro-balance for determination of the amount deposited. The nozzle is located at one end of the pair of electrodes. Experiments have been conducted with several airborne powders, in the range 1 to 30 micron of particle diameter, flowing through a hypodermic needle of 0.8 mm diameter and 3 ft length of flow rates between 50 and 500 cc/min. The average positive charge, the average negative charge, and the average absolute charge are proportional to the square of the flow rate. The charge is all acquired in friction between the powder particles and a deposit on the tube wall. Average charges up to 0.01 C/g have been measured. The charge is smaller the greater the extent of agglomeration of the powder. It depends as much upon agglomeration as upon the nature of the powder. It follows that literature data on aerosol charges determined with samples in slow rectified flow, e.g., by a capillary tube or a slit system, are misleading and may be too low by many orders of magnitude.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1963
Accession Number
AD0449189

Entities

People

  • G. C. Fernish
  • T. G. Owe Berg
  • W. J. Flood

Organizations

  • Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerosol Generators
  • Analyzers
  • Charged Particles
  • Connectors
  • Construction
  • Diameters
  • Electrodes
  • Electrostatic Charge
  • Filter Paper
  • Flow Rate
  • Government Procurement
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Particle Size
  • Particles
  • Resistance
  • Square Roots

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Plasma Physics.