Numerical study on PM10 collection efficiency in a wire-cylinder electrostatic precipitator under multi-field coupling

In this study, a mathematical model was introduced to calculate the collection efficiency of dust particles in a wire-pipe single-stage electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The aerodynamic diameters of these particles are less than 10 m (PM10). The mathematical model, using combined Deutsch-Anderson Equation, considers coupling effects among gas flow field, electric field and particle field. A simplified 2-D ESP model was established using GAMBIT and a software application (FLUENT) was used to investigate the effects of the diffusion charging on PM10 collection efficiency. Furthermore, the effects of different variables such as applied potential, gas velocity and particle distribution on diffusion charging and collection efficiency were also studied. The numerical results indicate that grade efficiency of ESP satisfies U-shape distribution. It was further demonstrated that, for particles with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers, the influence of diffusion charging on PM10 collection efficiency is significant with either decreasing applied potential or increasing gas velocity of the inlet. Moreover, the reduction of size distribution parameter and mean diameter of particles results in the phenomenon that diffusion charging has a more significant effect on PM10 overall efficiency, but there is no guarantee for improving overall collection in the case.

To study the PM10 collection in a wire-plate ESP, a numerical model was built and performed by FLUENT software. Deutsch-Anderson Equation was subsequently applied to collection efficiency calculation. The numerical results under different gas velocities at inlet and particle distributions indicate that the collection efficiency of PM10 increases with a decrease in gas velocity, and that the increment of grade efficiency will become bigger if particle diameter gets smaller. By comparing with a decrease in gas velocity, diffusion charging mechanism is found to be valuable for PM10 in aspect of collection. As two parameters of Rosin-Rammler distribution decrease, grade efficiency will increase, especially for fine particles, and a larger positive effect the diffusion charging mechanism will have on collection efficiency, but overall efficiency will decrease. Finally, the effect of particle distributions on grade efficiency is much smaller than that of diffusion charging mechanism or the gas velocity at inlet.

In this paper, a numerical simulation was carried out to analyze the effect of diffusion charging on collection efficiency of a wire-plate electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The gas flow field, the electric field, and the particle field with diffusion charging considered were included in the numerical model, which was implemented by using the commercial FLUENT software. Collection efficiency was calculated by using the Deutsch-Anderson equation, in which the parameters were provided from the numerical solutions. The simulated results indicate that the effect of diffusion charging on the wire-plate ESP particle collection increases with the decreasing particle diameter, as well as applied potential, particularly for PM10. Moreover, with the increasing applied potential, collection efficiency of PM10 is obviously improved, and the effect extent first increases and then decreases with particle size increasing, but also, the size range of particle, which is significantly affected by the diffusion charging, becomes smaller. As gas velocity becomes higher, the effect of diffusion charging on grade efficiency also becomes more obvious, and the affected range of particle size gets much larger, however, at the price of grade efficiency decreasing. Using collection efficiency as reference variable of judgment, instead of particle charge, may lead to a more accurate estimation of the aforementioned size range, which can provide a great help in the further analysis of fine particle collection.

In this paper, a numerical model was developed to describe the wire-plate electrostatic precipitator, commonly called electronic air cleaners. Electrostatic precipitator have been widely used to control particulate pollutants, which adversely affect human health. In this model, the complex interactions between fluid dynamics, electric fields and particle dynamics are considered. Therefore different approach methods are used in this study for each field, Eulerian reference frame was used for the fluid flow field and the electric field, Lagrangian reference frame used for the particles trajectories. In order to describe corona phenomena around high voltage electrode, electric field and ion current density field in electrostatic precipitator are numerically calculated using the iterative method for corona discharge model suggested by Kim (2010). The most important concept in electrostatic precipitator is the electric force applied to particles through the particle charging phenomena. The charge acquired by the particle in the corona region was obtained by combining the field charge, the diffusion charge and the time available for charging being the residence time of the particle in the corona region. In order to simulate more accurately, the charging model suggested by Lawless (1996) is used for the charging phenomena of particles by corona discharge because this model was designed to predict combination effect of diffusion charge and field charge. The diminution of particle concentration along the collection plate was derived from Deutsch’s theory, and migration velocity of the particle was developed from the condition that the magnitude of Coulomb force is equal to that of Stoke’s resistance force. This model is implemented by UDF in commercial software Fluent and validated with experimental and numerical results from literatures. CFD results had been compared with various experimental data obtained by Penney&Matick, Parasram and Kihm. Our results shows good agreement in terms of distributions of electric potential, current density, electrohydrodynamic flow pattern, and particle trajectories as well as corona current and collection efficiency. From this simulation, the effect of wire arrangement on electrostatic precipitator characteristics and particle charging are investigated. Both inline and staggered arrangements of wire electrode have been considered for fixed values of gas velocity equal to 2m/s. Applied voltage on wire electrode varies 6∼13kV and particle diameter is 4μm. For low voltage condition, staggered arrangement of wire electrode caused the turbulent effect so that collection efficiency increase more than inline arrangement. However, collection efficiency decrease in high voltage condition because electric force applied on particles passing between the wire electrodes is canceled out by both side wire electrodes.

The collection efficiency of many electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) must be improved in order to fulfill the particulate emission standard, which has become increasingly rigorous. According to classical collection theory, decreasing the gas velocity for an electric field is one of the most effective methods of enhancing the collection efficiency. Thus, we proposed a side-flow ESP, which, compared to its conventional counterpart, requires a far lower gas velocity for the electric field when the gas flow rate is constant. First, using aerodynamics, a theoretical expression of the collection efficiency and dust re-entrainment lift force was derived for a turbulent flow. The calculations indicated that a greater increase in efficiency was achieved by decreasing the gas velocity, which potentially reduces dust re-entrainment, than by lengthening the electric field. To confirm the advantages of the side-flow ESP, the collection efficiency and dust re-entrainment were measured in comparison experiments with a conventional ESP, in which talc powder with a medium diameter of 11.6 µm was used as the test dust. The dust concentration at the inlet averaged ~1400 mg m–3, and the strength of the electric field ranged approximately from 3 to 4 kV cm–1. The experimental results indicated that the emitted concentration and the dust re-entrainment were 45% and 42% lower, respectively, for the side-flow ESP than for the conventional ESP at the same gas flow rate.

Theory and application of cyclone impulse electrostatic precipitation

This paper explores the collection efficiency of Electrostatic precipitator (ESP) of a laboratory scale model which is geometrically similar to the industrial ESP of a local coal based power station. The variable fly ash velocity is used to determine the collection efficiency of an ESP. The applied voltage and current are being kept constant during different field test. Moreover a test run will be conduct to see the collection efficiency without applying high voltage. The experimental result shows that ESP collection efficiency is higher at lower fly ash velocity and suddenly decreases after a range of velocity. To confirm the validity of collection efficiency a mathematical model has been built and verified with experimental data. In addition, a test run is conducted without the high voltage (HV) supply to see the ability of capturing fly ash particles by keeping all other parameter same. The peak efficiency of ESP found in this experiment is 99.87%.

In this study, two different dust collectors, one based on an inertial separator and the other based on an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), were developed in order to reduce brake wear particulate matter (PM) emissions. Additionally, the collection efficiencies for brake wear particles (BWPs) of the inertial separator and the ESP were evaluated according to brake pad type. In the case of the inertial separator, the BWP collection efficiencies for the low-metallic (LM) and non-asbestos organic (NAO) pads were similar, and the cut-off size at 50% collection efficiency (D50) was 2.2 µm. The ESP was designed without an additional electrostatic charging device because naturally induced electrostatic charging occurred due to the friction between the brake disc and pad. The BWP collection efficiency of the ESP was higher for NAO pad than for LM pad because the BWPs generated from the NAO pad contained a relatively low iron (Fe) component compared to that of the LM pad, thereby generating more frictional electricity. The maximum ESP collection efficiencies of the BWPs generated from the LM and NAO pads were determined to be 60% and 75%, respectively, and the remaining BWPs that were not collected were presumed to be particles that were not frictionally charged.

Recent concerns of environmental protection encourage the use of a compact indoor air cleaner and various types of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) have been manufactured. Although a wide range of airborne particles can be collected effectively with an ordinary ESP using a positive DC corona, it is difficult to remove gaseous compounds such as tobacco smoke which induces submicron particles and an offensive odor. In the present paper, the authors investigated the collection of submicron particles and the decomposition of acetaldehyde (CH/sub 3/CHO) using a commercial ESP and a nonthermal plasma reactor because the offensive odor of tobacco smoke is mainly caused by acetaldehyde molecules. For an ESP, the authors evaluated the particle-size dependent collection efficiency using a monodispersed aerosol because little investigations have been conducted in this area. As for acetaldehyde decomposition, more than 90% of decomposition efficiency was obtained with the use of the nonthermal plasma under dry air. However, the decomposition efficiency was deteriorated under humidified conditions. The higher collection efficiency was achieved for a particle size of 0.6 /spl mu/m than that of 0.3 /spl mu/m although the overall over collection efficiency exceeded more than 99%. The combination of ESP and nonthermal plasma technologies leads to the breakthrough of the conventional indoor electronic air cleaner technology.

Even if smoke, fumes, mist or dust particles are removed by electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), the occurrence of ozone, which is harmful to human body, has to be severely restricted in the indoor environments of hospitals, offices, and workshops. Therefore, the two-stage ESP generating positive corona at the ionizer is typically used because it creates less ozone than the two-stage ESP generating negative corona at the ionizer.<BR> In order to predict the collection performance and the optimal design of the two-stage ESP applied to positive high-voltage, particle concentration is experimentally investigated in this paper. In addition, particle motion within the collector section is also numerically analyzed.<BR> The positive corona discharge current of the ionizer is found to be affected by the applied voltage in the collector section but less so by the particle concentration. Particle concentration shows a minimum near the high voltage electrode of the collector section. The minimum value of the collection efficiency is almost proportional to gas velocity. When the collector length decreases, the minimum value of the collection efficiency increases. Charged particles entering the collector region are linearly deflected towards the grounded plate by an electric field.<BR> From the above experimental and numerical results, two empirical equations on the concentration ratio and the collection efficiency are derived, and are in good agreement with the experimental data.

A new concept of electrostatic precipitator (ESP), named a Staged ESP (an Energy & Environmental Research Center proprietary), was conceived in June 2004. The concept is based on a simple design that can be retrofitted on existing coal-fired power plants to provide high particulate matter (PM) collection efficiency without compromising reliability. A prototype of Staged ESP was designed, fabricated, and tested in two different combustion coal flue gases with different fly ash resistivities. Several design parameters of the Staged ESP were evaluated under various operating conditions to optimize PM collection performance. A set of particulate sampling data, including aerodynamic particle sizer, scanning mobility particle sizer, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method 5 data, was collected to determine PM emissions of the Staged ESP configurations. These data were compared against data collected with a conventional ESP configuration. Compared to PM capture performance in conventional ESPs, an additional 30% to 70% reductions on total PM emissions were achieved for Staged ESPs in flue gas with medium- to high-resistivity fly ashes. Experimental data proved that the Staged ESP concept is capable of achieving higher PM collection efficiency, especially for particles in the submicrometer size range typically thought difficult to capture in an ESP.

Recent concerns of environmental protection encourage the use of a compact indoor air cleaner and various types of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) have been manufactured. Although a wide range of airborne particles can be collected effectively with an ordinary ESP using a positive DC corona, it is difficult to remove gaseous compounds such as tobacco smoke which induces submicron particles and an offensive odor. In the present paper, the authors investigated the collection of submicron particles and the decomposition of acetaldehyde (CH/sub 3/CHO) using a commercial ESP and a nonthermal plasma reactor because the offensive odor of tobacco smoke is mainly caused by acetaldehyde molecules. For an ESP, the authors evaluated the particle-size dependent collection efficiency using a monodispersed aerosol because little investigations have been conducted in this area. As for acetaldehyde decomposition, more than 90% of decomposition efficiency was obtained with the use of the nonthermal plasma under dry air. However, the decomposition efficiency was deteriorated under humidified conditions. The higher collection efficiency was achieved for a particle size of 0.6 /spl mu/m than that of 0.3 /spl mu/m although the overall over collection efficiency exceeded more than 99%. The combination of ESP and nonthermal plasma technologies leads to the breakthrough of the conventional indoor electronic air cleaner technology.

The dust collected in the polar plates can be washed out by a spraying system in the wet electrostatic precipitator. It is important to keep the spraying system having a high efficiency lest the dust returns to the gas again. The performance of the spraying system in the electrostatic precipitation and its influence on the dust collection efficiency are presented in the paper. The atomization characteristic of the spraying nozzle is measured by changing the water pressure and operating voltage. The results show that: Collection efficiency of the electrostatic precipitation is over 99.5 % when the water pressure is 0.4 MPa.When the spraying mists diameter is 100 μm, the collection efficiency is 92 % for the dust diameter under 10 μm. It will provide a basis for the design of spraying system in wet electrostatic precipitation by this analysis.

The electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is used all over the world to clean particles from contaminated industrial and domestical air. Recent observations and experiments however are disturbing. These indicate that, when capturing an oil mist or possibly droplets in general, phenomena occur that can cause the ESP to generate rather than remove (sub)micron particles. At spots where the electric field strength is high enough, collected droplets deform into a conical shape, the so-called Taylor cone. At the tip of this cone a jet is formed that breaks up in an enormous number of (sub)micron-sized droplets. In the ESP, this occurs at the charging corona wires and at sharp points on the collector plates. Because a part of the ESP energy is thus being used to spray droplets electrically, less energy can be utilized for ionization to charge incoming particles. Simultaneously, the active field strength between the collector plates decreases. These factors result in a substantial decrease in collection efficiency over the total size range. In addition to this overall decrease in efficiency, particles in the order of 1 μm are generated from the tip of the developed Taylor cones. Most of these generated droplets will be trapped in the ESP, but droplets formed close to the exit of the plates, depending on the configuration of the ESP, will be discharged from the precipitator. Thus, for particles of this size, the ESP is a particle generator rather than a particle remover.

Development and application of high voltage pulse energization system in electrostatic precipitations