A Particle Bifurcation Unit Based on Full-Penetration Electrostatic Guidance

This paper proposes a particle bifurcation unit based on full-penetration electrostatic guidance. The unit is a nearly vertical metal square tube with an integrated metal wall structure charged with a low-voltage positive potential. A planar electrode, running the full length from end to end, is laid on the top inner surface. This electrode is fully directionally insulated with a thin layer of high-dielectric-strength material and is pulsed with a negative high-voltage DC. The internal medium is still air. After entering from the top, particles descend solely under gravity, remaining entirely within a full-penetration slanted electrostatic field formed between the top negative high-voltage electrode and the positively charged tube wall. This field exerts a nearly horizontal lateral deflection force on the particles via a polarization mechanism, theoretically without impeding their descent. Coarse particles, dominated by gravity, lack sufficient lateral displacement and exit through the lower outlet. Fine particles, significantly affected by the polarization deflection, follow a smoothly curving trajectory and are guided into the upper outlet. The system adheres to the design philosophy of "gravity as the primary force, electrostatics as the auxiliary." It features no moving mechanical parts, no airflow disturbance, and is designed to guarantee freedom from ionic wind interference, zero ozone generation, and no particle adhesion to the wall. This unit can serve as an independent bifurcation module or be cascaded in series to form a multi-stage particle size classification system.