Experimental investigation of a modified triboelectric charging device

Abstract

Tribo-charging of plastic particles plays a critical role in the electrostatic separation industry, particularly for sorting millimeter-sized particles. The optimal charge/mass ratio can result in significant particle deviation in high intensity electric fields, making tribo-charging an important area of study. This work examines a modified tribo-electrostatic charging device that utilizes rotating propellers and an added air blower to increase particle charging. Through experimental analysis, the impact of air blower speed, rotating propeller speed, and sample mass was investigated using five different types of millimeter-sized particles. The results of the optimization study indicate a significant improvement in the charge/mass ratio, with the introduction of the air blower increasing the ratio by over 2.5 times.

Keywords:

• Charge/mass ratio
• plastic particles
• propellers
• triboelectric charging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.