Patent ID: 7679052

Claim:
A method of separating ionized particles comprising: providing a particle separator comprising a housing, wherein the housing comprises at least one inlet port, at least one outlet port, and an electric field disposed inside the housing, wherein the electric field defines a magnitude E (volt/cm) which increases the farther ionized particles travel within the housing; delivering a gas flow through the inlet port, wherein the gas flow defines a velocity, Vgas; delivering ionized particles into the housing, the ionized particles defining a mobility value, K (cm 2 /volt*sec), wherein the product of the mobility value K and the electric field magnitude E define a mobility velocity for the ionized particles, Vmob (cm/sec)=K*E; and separating the ionized particles by stopping each ionized particle at a location in the separator wherein the mobility velocity, Vmob, of the ionized particles is equal and opposite the gas flow velocity Vgas.