The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 02, 1987
Filed:
Feb. 18, 1986
Stuart A Hoenig, Tucson, AZ (US);
Desert Technology, Inc., Marana, AZ (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for extraction of water droplets from air includes a corona array including an array of conductive pointed needles with a high voltage thereon adjacent to a grounded conductive collector. Water droplets are exposed to a strong electrostatic field gradient, causing water droplets in incoming air to rotate and move along the electric field gradient lines toward the shanks of the needles and coalesce thereon, forming larger droplets. The droplets move under the influence of an increasing field gradient toward the needle points, acquiring electrostatic charge from the needle. The droplets eventually are repelled from the needles, when electrostatic repulsion forces on the droplets exceed adhesion forces that decrease as the droplets increase in size during their migration. The repulsed droplets move under the influence of electric field to the collector. The resulting liquid accumulating on the collector is removed to reduce re-evaporation into the air. In one embodiment, the temperature of the needles are kept below the condensation point, and polar water molecules are directed by the gradient to the needle shanks.