New technique to measure particle size using electrostatic sensor

• A ring electrode is designed and simulated for its sensitivity properties.
• A new technique is proposed for particle sizing in the frequency domain.
• Mathematical modeling is provided for the method.
• Signal conditioning circuit is designed for the sensor.
• Experimental results are compared with simulation results.

A new technique is proposed to measure the particle mean size using an electrostatic sensor in frequency domain. This paper starts with a finite-element modeling simulator to model the induced electric charge of a ring electrode and to find the electrode sensitivity. The mathematical modeling was used to extract particle size information from the simulated signal in frequency domain. The method is applied in an experimental test where a low-noise signal conditioning was designed with a ring electrode as the electrostatic sensor. The method can be used to establish a cost effective size measurement system using electrostatic sensor.