Removal of Coal-Fired Pollutants Using a Novel Composite Collector in a Wet Electrostatic Precipitator

Abstract

Rigorous new regulations in coal-fired pollutants emissions from power plant strengthen the requirements for electrostatic precipitator (ESP) technology. The study was inspired by the requirement to use the new composite collectors as substitutes for typical steel collector to save energy and structural materials. A bench scale and a pilot scale experimental system have been set up to investigate the performance of the novel wet composite collector. Contrastive collection efficiencies of different assembled modes were investigated. The removals of coal-fired pollutants including acid aerosol, ammonia aerosol, slurry droplets and fine particles were performed in new wet ESP, as well as to quantify the key properties of the new wet ESP. The results show that the collection efficiency of the new composite collector was higher than that by typical collectors using a thimbleful of water penetrating the surface via capillary flow. The new wet ESP device acts in synergy with WFGD and SCR systems for controlling coal-fired pollutants emissions and solves the adverse impacts caused by wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems at the same time.