Method and apparatus for producing increased quantities of ions and higher energy ions
First Claim
1. In a method of producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the steps of:
- generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude and having a plurality of successive of said pulses limited in amplitude by repetitive, substantially sinusoidal half-wave envelopes, said envelopes having a frequency less than the frequency of said electric energy pulses, andapplying the generated electric energy to a stream of gas to generate ions.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for producing ions wherein an ion generator produces periodic pulses of electric energy of a single polarity for some applications and alternating positive and negative polarities for other applications. A plurality of the electric pulses are limited in amplitude by a substantially sinusoidal half-wave envelope and the positive and negative pulses are preferably of different amplitudes. The ground electrode is arranged about and upstream and downstream of the ionizing electrode to provide a highly effective electric field substantially normal to the gas flow. A heater heats the gas to increase ionization. An ultrasonic sound wave generator pulses the gas with sound waves prior to, during or after ionization of the gas to group the ions of a like charge in distinct pressure wave fronts or distinct areas so as to reduce recombination of ions thereby making more ions available per volume and also increasing the total energy of the ions produced. Multiple sound wave generators increase the energy of the base frequency or selected harmonics. An inlet passage to the generator of a selected length increases the energy. A discharge passage of a selected length reinforces and/or eliminates selected harmonics. A discharge nozzle with angularly inclined and outwardly enlarged venturis cool the heated ionized gas.
39 Citations
47 Claims
-
1. In a method of producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the steps of:
-
generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude and having a plurality of successive of said pulses limited in amplitude by repetitive, substantially sinusoidal half-wave envelopes, said envelopes having a frequency less than the frequency of said electric energy pulses, and applying the generated electric energy to a stream of gas to generate ions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. In a method of producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the steps of:
-
generating continuous periodic oscillatory pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude and having a plurality of successive of said pulses limited in amplitude by substantially sinusoidal half-wave envelopes, said pulses having successive alternating positive and negative components with no substantial time delay between pulses and between cycles, and applying the generated electic energy to a stream of gas to produce ions. - View Dependent Claims (9)
-
-
10. In a method of producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the steps of:
-
generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy having a controlled amplitude, applying said periodic pulses of electric energy to a stream of gas to generate ions, and successively pulsing the gas with ultrasonic sound waves that are approximately multiples of the frequency of the electric energy in a series of separate successive stages to successively amplify a selected base or harmonic frequency of the electric energy.
-
-
11. In a method of producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the steps of:
-
generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy having a controlled amplitude, applying said periodic pulses of electric energy to a stream of gas to generate ions, and heating the gas wherein the heat is generated independently of the generating of said ions to increase the quantity of available ions in the gas per unit volume. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
-
-
14. In apparatus for producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the combination comprising:
-
electric ion generator means for generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude and having a plurality of successive of said pulses limited in amplitude by repetitive substantially sinusoidal half-wave envelopes having a frequency less than that of the electric energy, and energy dispersing structure for said electric energy including an ionizing electrode terminating in an ionizing point and a ground electrode spaced a preselected distance from the ionizing electrode, said electric energy being applied to said ionizing electrode to form an electric field between the ionizing point and ground electrode for producing ions. - View Dependent Claims (15)
-
-
16. In apparatus for producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the combination comprising:
-
electric ion generator means for generating continuous periodic oscillatory pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude and having successive positive and negative components with no substantial time delay between pulses and between cycles, and energy dispersing structure for said electric energy including an ionizing electrode terminating in an ionizing point and a ground electrode spaced a preselected distance from the ground electrode, said electric energy being applied to said ionizing electrode to form an electric field between the ionizing point and ground electrode for producing ions. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. In apparatus for producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the combination comprising:
ion generator and dispersing means for applying continuous periodic pulses of electric energy to a stream of gas under pressure to produce ions, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude, and heating means independent of said ion generator and dispersing means for heating the stream of gas to increase ionization. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
33. In apparatus for producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the combination comprising:
-
electric ion generator means for generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude and having a plurality of successive of said pulses limited in amplitude by repetitive substantially sinusoidal half-wave envelopes having a frequency less than that of the electric energy, and energy dispersing structure for said electric energy including an ionizing electrode terminating in an ionizing point and a ground electrode spaced a preselected distance from the ionizing electrode, said electric energy being applied to said ionizing electrode to form an electric field between the ionizing point and ground electrode for producing ions, said energy dispersing structure including a means forming a chamber through which a stream of gas is passed, said chamber having an ionizing electrode terminating in an ionizing point in the chamber and a ground electrode disposed outwardly of the ionizing point to provide an electric field substantially normal to the flow of gas through the chamber, said ground electrode being relatively long in relation to the ionizing point to extend both upstream and downstream of the ionizing point.
-
-
34. In apparatus for producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the combination comprising:
-
electric ion generator means for generating continuous periodic pulses of electric energy, said pulses having a controlled undamped amplitude, energy dispersing structure for said electric energy including an ionizing electrode terminating in an ionizing point and a ground electrode spaced a preselected distance from the ionizing electrode, and an ultrasonic sound wave generator including an imperforate axial wall of a selected axial extent and axially spaced upstream and downstream end walls meeting with the axial wall to form a resonant cavity, said upstream end wall having only a single restricted central inlet and said downstream end wall having only a single restricted central outlet for pulsing the gas in the resonant cavity with ultrasonic sound wave vibrations to generate groups of ions in a gas in distinct pressure fronts at higher energy levels. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. In apparatus for producing ions in a gas with greater efficiency and a minimum of ozone, the combination comprising:
-
a housing having an inlet end and an outlet end, a hub extending axially in the housing having axially spaced upstream and downstream end plates at opposite ends of the hub and heat insulation between the plates and along the inside of the housing forming a chamber for confining a stream of gas, the upstream end plate having an inlet for passing the gas into the chamber and the downstream plate having an outlet for passing the gas from the chamber, a heating element mounted on the hub in the chamber for heating the stream of gas passing through the chamber, and ion generator and dispersing means including an ionizing electrode and a ground electrode independent of said heating element for applying continuous periodic pulses of electric energy having a controlled undamped amplitude to the gas for ionizing the gas. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
-
Specification