Unipolar Charging of Fine and Ultra-Fine Particles Using Carbon Fiber Ionizers

Abstract

A simple and novel unipolar charger using carbon fiber ionizers was developed to effectively charge fine and ultra-fine aerosol particles without the generation of ozone. The particle penetration in the charger was investigated for non-charged, neutralized, and singly charged particles in the size range of 20–200 nm. Particle loss and the intrinsic, exit and extrinsic charging efficiencies of fine and ultra-fine particles were also investigated for non-charged particles at different applied voltages to the charger. Particle penetrations in the charger were nearly 100% for particles larger than 20 nm, irrespective of the initial particle charging state. Particle losses in the charger could be decreased by decreasing the applied voltage to the charger from 4.0 kV to 2.3 kV. The intrinsic charging efficiencies were proportionally increased with the applied voltage, whereas the exit charging efficiencies were almost independent of the applied voltage. Therefore, the extrinsic charging efficiency of the charge...