Space heater with electrostatically assisted heat transfer and method of assisting heat transfer in heating devices

Abstract

A space heater for heating air includes a duct for transporting air from an inlet to an outlet of the duct; a heating component; and an electrostatic discharge device within the duct for accelerating the gas through the duct from the inlet to the outlet. The electrostatic discharge device may include a high voltage power supply; at least one corona electrode connected to the high voltage power supply; and a collector electrode located proximate the corona electrode and connected to the high voltage power supply so as to induce a motion of the gas in a direction from the corona electrode toward the collector electrode.

1 . A space heater for heating air, said space heater comprising:
 a duct for transporting air from an inlet to an outlet of said duct;   a heating component; and   an electrostatic discharge device within said duct for accelerating said air through said duct from said inlet to said outlet.   
   
   
       2 . The space heater of  claim 1 , wherein said heating component comprises a filament located downstream of said electrostatic discharging device. 
   
   
       3 . The space heater of  claim 1 , wherein said heating component comprises a filament located upstream of said electrostatic discharging device. 
   
   
       4 . The space heater of  claim 1 , including a minimized area though which ozonated air may escape heated zones heated by the heating component and maximize time that ozonated air travels trough these hot zones. 
   
   
       5 . The space heater of  claim 1 , said electrostatic discharge device comprising:
 a high voltage power supply;   at least one corona electrode connected to said high voltage power supply; and   a collector electrode located proximate said corona electrode and connected to said high voltage power supply so as to induce a motion of the air in a direction from said corona electrode toward said collector electrode.   
   
   
       6 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein
 said corona electrode comprises a wire-like conductive member; and   said collector electrode comprises a conductive member having a dimension at least 10 times greater than a diameter of said corona wire,   said corona wire and said collecting electrode having major dimensions oriented substantially parallel to each other.   
   
   
       7 . The space heater of  claim 6 , further comprising a plurality of said corona electrodes and a plurality of said collector electrodes and wherein a number of the corona electrodes (Nw) is equal to a number of the collector electrodes (Nc) within plus-minus one (Nw=Nc±1). 
   
   
       8 . The space heater of  claim 6 , wherein a number of the corona electrodes (Nw) is equal to a number of the collecting electrodes (Nc) divided by two within plus-minus one (Nw=Nc/2±1). 
   
   
       9 . The space heater of  claim 6 , wherein a number of the corona wires is at least equal to a number of the collecting members divided by two minus one (Nw=Nc/2−1) but is no greater than said number of the collector electrodes plus one (Nw=Nc+1). 
   
   
       10 . The space heater of  claim 6 , wherein a distance from the corona wires to the collecting electrodes is greater than twice that of a distance between immediately adjacent collecting electrodes. 
   
   
       11 . The space heater of  claim 6 , further a plurality of said corona electrodes and a plurality of said collector electrodes, wall portions of said duct immediately proximate outermost ones of said corona electrodes being covered with an insulating material. 
   
   
       12 . The space heater of  claim 11 , wherein said insulating material has a low polarization property. 
   
   
       13 . The space heater of  claim 6  further comprising a plurality of said corona electrodes and a plurality of said collector electrodes, a distance from outermost ones of said corona electrodes to walls of said duct being about ½ of a distance between immediately adjacent ones of said corona electrodes. 
   
   
       14 . The space heater of  claim 5 , further comprising at least one repelling electrode. 
   
   
       15 . The space heater of  claim 14  wherein said heating component comprises a filament that further functions as said repelling electrode. 
   
   
       16 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein said high voltage power supply is connected to the corona electrode with positive voltage potential with respect to the collecting electrode. 
   
   
       17 . The space heater of  claim 5 , where said high voltage power supply is connected to the repelling electrode with positive voltage potential with respect to the collecting electrode. 
   
   
       18 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein said electrostatic discharge device includes a modulator connected to vary an output from said high voltage power supply so as to control said acceleration of said air in response to an audio signal. 
   
   
       19 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein ones of said electrodes closest to an opening of said duct are maintained at an electrical potential close to a ground potential. 
   
   
       20 . The space heater of  claim 5 , further comprising a substrate on which at least one of said electrodes is supported and wherein said substrate is devoid of cavities capable of collecting or storing water. 
   
   
       21 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein said electrodes and a substrate on which said electrodes are mounted comprise an inexpensive material such as thin sheet and plastic and are easily removable from the duct. 
   
   
       22 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein a front portion of said collecting electrode is hollow. 
   
   
       23 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of said collecting electrode is made of or is covered by a hydrophobic material. 
   
   
       24 . The space heater of  claim 5 , wherein a portion of said collecting electrode is configured to be heated to a temperature above 100° C. during an operation of said space heater. 
   
   
       25 . The space heater of  claim 24 , wherein said collecting electrode is heated with an electrical current. 
   
   
       26 . The space heater of  claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of said corona electrodes and a plurality of said collector electrodes and wherein said heating component comprises a filament located between said collecting electrodes. 
   
   
       27 . The space heater of  claim 5  wherein said heating component comprises a filament that further functions as said repelling electrode. 
   
   
       28 . The space heater of  claim 5 , further comprising a sensor of air conditions selected from the group of sensor consisting of air temperature sensors, moisture sensors, ozone sensors, gas content sensors, dirtiness sensors and wherein said space heater includes circuitry for regulating a power applied to said electrostatic discharge device in response to said air conditions.