DC Ionizer With Opposed $\phi$-Type Corona Electrodes for High-Speed Charge Elimination

The corona-type ionizer supplies air flow including positive and negative corona ions for the elimination of electrostatic charges on a charged target. DC ionizers placed close to the charged target are proposed to shorten the charge-elimination time. The ionizer is composed of a grounded mesh electrode and opposed positive and negative needle electrodes. Opposed φ-type electrodes are also evaluated to improve the ionizer performance. A strong electric field can be formed between the grounded mesh and the charged target; therefore, the ion drag force due to the electric field becomes dominant and plays an important role in charge elimination with this technique. A charge-elimination model that introduces a simplified charge-elimination current is also proposed to evaluate ionizer performance. The charge-elimination performance of the ionizer with opposed φ-type electrodes was much better than that with opposed needle electrodes.