Efficiency of smoke removal by charged water droplets

The removal of fine aerosol particles such as dust or smoke by charged droplets was investigated experimentally. The droplets were sprayed by a rotary atomiser and simultaneously charged inductively. The cigarette smoke was used as a source of submicrometer dust. Smoke was charged in a specially designed corona-discharge charger. The suppression of particle concentration was determined after different time intervals of spraying of water. The electrical charging of droplets significantly increases the efficiency of removal of fine particles from air as compared to the uncharged aerosol. Further improvement was obtained after charging smoke particles. The cleaning process was up to four times better for charged smoke and droplets than that for uncharged species. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.