New Technique of Electrostatic Single-Probe in Combustion Products

Abstract

When an electrostatic single-probe was used in the combustion product, an electron current vs. probe voltage characteristic has not been able to be obtained correctly for lack of ability of a reference electrode to collect a large amount of saturated positive-ion current. This difficulty is solved by the method of flowing a constant current through the reference electrode and of compensating the probe current by the current collected by the third electrode inserted into the reaction zone, to which the sufficiently high voltage is added. The electron currents for fixed probe voltage which are obtained by the aid of the devised technique vary nearly proportionally with the probe length, as well as the positive-ion current does. This fact assures the true single-probe operation to the devised technique.