Modeling of triboelectric separation of plastic particles in electric field

A device for electrostatic separation of triboelectrically charged plastic particles is modelled and optimized. Electric field in the system is solved numerically by a fully adaptive higher-order finite element method. The movement of particles in the device is determined by means of an adaptive Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method. The shape optimization of the electrodes is carried out using a technique based on higher-order conjugate gradients. The methodology is illustrated by a typical example.