Abstract: An air amplifier utilizing the coanda effect is disposed adjacent to a web of material to be cleaned. A relatively small volume of compressed air is driven from a slot onto a curved wall surface. The "coanda effect" causes that compressed air to adhere to the wall, and causes a suction creating a relatively high-volume air flow upstream from the slot to be drawn along with the small volume of air adhering to the wall. The high-volume amplified flow of air is drawn along the surface of a web of material to be cleaned to entrain impurities from the web of material to be cleaned. A vacuum source is mounted adjacent to the end of the wall such that impurities are drawn into the vacuum source and removed from the area. In addition, ionized particles are directed into the relatively high-volume air flow to increase the cleaning efficiency of the system. The present invention provides a high efficiency web cleaning system that need not be mounted as close to the web as prior systems.

Abstract: An air amplifying blow-off system incorporating an ionizing apparatus includes a converter driven by the compressed air being directed to an air distributor. The converter provides the power source for the ionizing apparatus. In this way, the air distributor and ionizing apparatus can be an easily contained unit. The system may comprise a turbine which is electrically connected to an ionizing apparatus, such as an ionizing bar. Another system may comprise an oscillatory device connected to a pair of opposing electrodes through a piezoelectric device. The compressed air drives the oscillatory device. The piezoelectric device provides a pulsating supply of voltage to the ionizing device. This invention allows the blow-off/ionizer system to be utilized in potentially explosive environments. Further, the efficiency of the systems is increased since power losses across the relatively long cables incorporated in the prior art systems is eliminated.