Air Purifier GO!

See larger image *TWO* 3Q ELECTROSTATIC AIR PURIFIER WITH UV LAMP & CHARCOAL FILTER (Kitchen)

Whether you realize it or not, you've been witnessing how the electrostatic air purifier works your whole life. Take a look at your TV screen for example. Perhaps you may have noticed how dust seems to gather on the surface of the screen. Now how many times have you wondered why this happens?

Why the Dust on Your TV Screen?

Now you have been getting a big clue all along when you hold your hand up close to the screen and felt the slight “sparking” of static electricity. It's that static electricity that's responsible for more dust accumulating on the screen than on the outer plastic surface of the TV set.

Using Static Electricity to Attract and Hold things

Then who hasn't at some time rubbed a balloon against their hair to make it stick to your head? As a child, it seemed like some magic trick. Once again, you were witnessing how invisible static electricity has the power to pull an object in and in fact if you think about it, a balloon does have much more weight than a tiny speck of dust.

Static Electricity is Pretty Powerful Stuff

So there you can see the actual power that electrostatic electricity has to gather and hold air particles. So how many volts of electricity are involved when you do the balloon trick? Would you believe that it's several thousand volts? About the same amount as in a high power electrical line. Don't worry though, because it's very low “amperage”.

Air Passes Through an Electrical Corona or “Haze”

An electrostatic air purifier operates on the exact same principle. It uses fine wires to create a corona, or what can best be described as an “electrical haze” to charge air molecules that pass through it. These electrostatic charged air molecules then attach themselves to dust particles, which then stick to metal plates.

1907: The First Electrostatic Air Purifier is Patented

The very first use of this type of air cleaning technology was way back in 1907. It was back then when Dr Fredrick G Cottrell, a professor at the University of Berkeley applied for a patent for an electrical air cleaner that he had invented that he wanted to to use for cleaning emissions from smelting plants.

The Research Corporation is Founded

This man then used the money his invention earned him to create and fund a foundation that he named the Research Corporation. The purpose of this organization was to take new scientific developments, such as his new air cleaner and find ways to develop and bring them into the commercial world for the good of the general public.

Following the Money Trail Left by this Amazing Invention

Would you believe that this organization is still in existence? Well it is and the first money generated from this very first patent that was handed over to the Research Corporation went on to fund Godards first rocketry experiments. “The seeds of NASA”. Funds from this group also played a critical role in the development of the technologies that are used to produce vitamin A and B.

So then How Does the Darn thing Work Anyway?

In simple terms, an electrostatic air purifier contains in it a row of thin vertical wires that are placed next to a stack of metal plates. A negative electrical charge is then passed back and forth in the air volume between these wires and plates to create a corona. Remember the electrical haze?

Go Take Another Look at Your TV Screen

As dust particles pass through this corona, they pick up electrons and as a result take on a slight charge. It's this charge that then causes them to be attracted to the plates where then become stuck. It's the exact same thing that happens to dust particles that wander too close to the electrical haze in front of your TV screen.

One of its Biggest Benefits Over Filter Air Cleaners

One of the biggest benefits of the electrostatic air purifier is that it does away with the need for standard filters. In household air cleaners this means no expensive and messy filters to change but metal plates mean that mold and bacteria have no filter where they can settle in and grow.

Working to Keep the Air Outside Clean Too

Doing away with the need for messy cumbersome filters, also cleared the way for large commercial air cleaners of this type to be developed for scrubbing the exhaust created at coal and oil powered electrical plants. This technology is also heavily used in a wide range of dusty industries such cement plants.

Pros and Cons of the Electrostatic Air Purifier

There are some pros and cons to be considered with this type of air cleaner though. For instance, typically household models are designed to process a low volume of air as compared to a standard mesh filter cleaner. The reason is simple. That is that if the air is moved to quickly it won't have time to stick to the plates.

The Most Quiet and Economical to Own and Use

Now of course the plates could be stacked in a tighter grid but then there would be problems with cleaning them. You see in household models the grids are spaced well apart, so they can be easily wiped down with a damp cloth. One major benefit of this type of air cleaner though is that they are very quite and use very little electricity.

Tags: Electrostatic Air Purifier

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