Influence of particle location on the number of charges per charged nanoparticle at the outlet of a needle charger

This study has investigated numerically the influence of particle location on the number of charges per charged particle in the 10–40 nm size range at the outlet of a needle charger by simulating flow field, electric field, particle charging, and particle trajectory at various conditions. The results show that the total (i.e., diffusion + field charging) number of charges per particle increase with decreasing ratio values of radial location at the outlet of the charger due to the particle position close to the needle tip. It has also been shown that in the outlet region of the charger there is a critical radial location at which the number of charges per particle is a maximum; this critical radial location represents the point at which the charged particle trajectory becomes closest to the needle electrode. The maximum value of number of charges increases with increasing Reynolds number and slightly increases with decreasing applied voltage for particle diameter larger than 20 nm. The maximum number of charges per charged nanoparticle increases with increasing particle diameter. In addition, the minimum ratio value of radial particle location decreases with increasing Reynolds number for various particle diameters.

Implications: In this work, the influence of particle location on the number of charges per charged nanoparticle at the outlet of a needle charger has been investigated using numerical models under different conditions. The results demonstrate that the radial location affects the number of charges per particle at the outlet of the charger. The maximum number of charges increases with increasing particle diameter, and the minimum ratio value of radial particle location decreases with increasing Reynolds number. The numerical models explain and quantify the number of charges on the charged particle in the 10–40 nm size range from the outlet of the needle charger at various conditions.