Monitoring of flowing charges with an electrostatic voltmeter

This paper describes a simple method of monitoring the net electric charge of powders transported pneumatically through a dielectric pipe. An electrostatic voltmeter (ESVM) is used to measure the voltage induced on an isolated ring electrode placed on the outside surface of the pipe. An equivalent circuit model of the measurement system was constructed and experimentally verified using an electrophotographic toner and an aluminum oxide powder (Al₂O₃). Knowledge of the voltage induced by flowing charged particles on the electrode allows for the calculation of the total charge that flew through the pipe. However, in order to obtain an accurate voltage measurement, the input impedance of the instrument used for that purpose must be very high. The high impedance of an ESVM makes it uniquely suited for this application.