This is my invention of a Two Stage Electrospray Ionizing Wetscrubber. The individual wet scrubber stage is also of my own invention, it is a cyclonic self induced spray scrubber. hackaday.io/project/7237-hous...
University lab! But there seems to be a white layer on the surface of the water in the bottom pail, so that could stop the powder ahead of the 2nd stage.
A way to measure the particle filtering ability is to use paper filter at the outlet, then dry the paper and view with microscope to measure particle size. if you want to know how much is getting through just weigh a dried paper filter before and the same filter re-dried after use. I know this probably comes a bit too late. it may be and idea to use a cyclone separator to spin the droplets into larger drops that leave your air stream humid but droplet free. You are doing great work Thanks for sharing your brilliants!
Hi dui, that is a brilliant idea. I think I will try that on my next iteration of my filtration or vacuum device. I suppose I could use a N95 mask as this fabric filter
@@LockeLaboratory I would use P100 mask, They filters finer than the N95 and they are made to catch oil droplets so they are more durable than an N95. But Perhaps a better approach would be to use graded laboratory filter papers for catching precipitates. they have size ranges that will help you classify your particle distribution . to use filter papers you will need to set up a backing screen so your filter paper does not shred- in any case you will need an analytical balance something that will measure at least mg the finer the resolution the shorter your testing period can be. If you try to use a balance with a half gram resolution you may be running your test for weeks before you have caught enough particles to see a measurable weight difference. Do you have a reasonable microscope to view the filter media and do you have access to and analytical balance? best of luck!
You would test the efficiency by inoculating the inlet air stream with a known weight of a submicron powder. Typically this would be zinc oxide which also is a bright white, easy to see. On the outlet, you would use a device similar to what the EPA uses to determine particle capture which is a sub micron filter. It's as easy a weighing the filter before and after the scrubber run. For example you'd inject 5 grams of zinc oxide with the average particle size of 0.5 micron and whatever the submicron hepa filter captured on the exit would indicate your collection efficiency, Re: (ZnO2 Input weight - Filter weight change (filter dried before and after))/ ZnO2 Input weight. However, in this case your air flow is much larger than what standard sampling equipment would accept so you would have to accurately determine the scrubber air flowrate take a sample of the exhaust air stream at a determined flowrate and then extrapolate how much was in the total exit flow because you now know the exit concentration of particulate and the volume of flow during the sampling test.
No, where you seek a reasonably accurate efficiency and are not required to satisfy the standard EPA method for reporting purposes all you need is a very standard airquality samping device such as an air monitoring hepa filter. If one knows the sampling rate and the mass of inlet particulate, flowrate of the air you are scrubbing it is very straight forward. You can use a manometer and an orifice plate and calculate the scrubber air flowrate using pressure drop for that orifice plate diameter. So? If you know the amount of particulate, the calculated air stream flowrate and the sampling rate, you can use the change in the filter weight of the sampling pump to determine the concentration of the exit gas. It is true that the hepa filter is 99.99% efficient at 1 micron but it typically is over 90% for the submicron particulate on the average so your number will be an inexpensive approach. You can rent these devices and purchase filters from environmental places and they will even analyze the filter particulate and a number in micrograms captured. I believe that's your best inexpensive sampling menthod. The entire measurement could be under $150. You might search on Ebay for the air sampling pumps and just send the samples to the environmental outfits, the analysis is typically under $40.
Mabe you can suck super fine pure gold dust trough your invention and filter the air output through aqua regia then test for gold in the aqua regia ? If gold traps in first stages you could make the solution a aqua regia also of salt vinigar and bleach the fumes would give your invention a test out.after test all stages for traces of gold
