Enhanced particulate filter with electrostatic charger: Insights for low-resistance and high-efficiency ship-based nanoscale black carbon capture

Abstract

Black carbon emission from ships has attracted great concern due to its significant impact on the environment, climate, and human health. This study presents a comprehensive approach to address black carbon emissions from ships with simulated nanoparticles (SP-BC) by integrating a particulate filter with an electrostatic charger (EC-PF). Low filtration velocity (1.5 cm/s) is beneficial for the high-efficiency and low pressure drop collection of SP-BC by PF, while the optimum filtration temperature should be within 673 K to prevent decomposition and fragmentation of SP-BC. The electrostatic charger can significantly improve the PF collection efficiency by 10% while reducing the PF pressure drop variation by nearly 50%, based on the looser DPM layer formation and electrostatic attraction. Varying applied voltage in EC-PF systems have different effects on the efficiency and pressure drop, and 80% of the maximum applied voltage (i.e. 21 kV at 573 K)is considered the optimal operating mode of EC-PF, with a reduction in the median diameter of more than 20 nm compared to the PF. For long-term operation, the operating voltage should be reduced to mitigate the occurrence of breakdown and prevent a significant increase in pressure drop. At higher filtration velocities of up to 9 cm/s, the efficiency enhancement of the EC-PF becomes more apparent, with collection efficiencies exceeding 90%. In addition, pulse-jet cleaning is shown to be a feasible assisted regeneration method for EC-PF with a low pressure drop after regeneration. Consequently, this study has significant implications for low-resistance and high-efficiency ship-based black carbon capture, contributing to the mitigation of Arctic glacier melting and global warming.