Effect of soot particles on corona discharge

Abstract

A study has been made on the corona charging of soot particles in diesel engine exhaust for the purpose of collection and removal of these particles. Continuous operation was achieved by a specially designed corona charger in which the insulator surfaces were kept clean by a protective film of cleaning gas. This measure prevents shorting of high voltage caused by the soot deposited on the surface of the insulators. The system makes possible a basic study of the effect of soot particles on the corona discharge, the space charge effect, and the electrical conductivity of the gas-particle mixture through experimental measurements and numerical computation. © 1990 Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc.