Patent ID: 7523673

Claim:
An apparatus for real-time monitoring of flow and flow conditions in a system comprising: (a) an ion source configured to generate charged species in said flow, where said ion source is driven to a position along a flow axis of said flow by fluid momentum of said flow along said flow axis, where said flow axis is a vector in the direction of flow and passing through said ion source; and (b) a multi-directional collection device configured to detect said charged species generated by said ion source, said multi-directional collection device comprised of at least one electrode pair placed on an axis coincident with or parallel to said flow axis, said electrode pair comprised of a set of axially spaced electrodes having a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein said first electrode and said second electrode are electrically isolated from electrical ground, wherein said first electrode and said second electrode are arranged such that during said flow along said flow axis, either said first electrode or said second electrode is downstream of said ion source, and wherein said multi-directional collection device is configured to measure current flow from said first electrode and said second electrode.