Electrostatic Precipitator Technology Research Articles

Development of emission reduction measures of particulate matter emitted from coal fired power plants in Indonesia

Currently, Indonesia has committed to achieve Net Zero Emissions (NZE) efforts on their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) and at the same time focusing on air pollution abatement. One of the dominant emissions sources of particulate matter as well as Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) is from coal fired power plants. It contributes 50% to the total energy consumption in power generation, therefore the major power plant in Indonesia. Therefore, efforts to reduce GHGs and particulate emissions are needed to achieve the NZE target as well as to improve air quality. The research objective is to determine the particulate pollution load based on the Business as Usual (BaU) scenario and also under the emission reduction scenario for the year of 2030. Particulate pollution load was calculated using the emissions inventory methodology described in the brown cloud atmosphere workbook (ABC-EIM). Particulate emission reduction scenarios were developed using the assumption of full installation of Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) technology to control PM emission. In 2030, the emission reductions PM10, PM2.5, Black Carbon (BC), and Organic Carbon (OC) are 57,854 ton/year, 57,854 ton/year, 432 ton/year, and 1,723 ton/year.

미세먼지 포집을 위한 전극이 결합된 복합 정전필터 연구

This paper is a study on a composite filter that combines an air filter and electrostatic precipitation technology. Basic research on a technology that can improve the dust collection rate by combining an electrode with an air filter with low performance was conducted experimentally. By applying high voltage to the composite filter of the fiber filter and electrode tested in this paper, a dust collection rate for PM0.3 of 83.4% was obtained, which was 6.45 times higher than that of 11.2% when only the fiber filter was used. This clearly indicates that the dust collection performance is improved. In addition, it was confirmed from the experimental results that the power required to improve the filter performance is very low, which indicates that it is advantageous for the maintenance and management of the filter device.

Advances in Electrostatic Precipitator Technology in Household Air Purifiers

Advances in Electrostatic Precipitator Technology in Household Air Purifiers

New learnings and strategies for meeting future recovery boiler particulate emission limits with existing electrostatic precipitators

It is foreseeable that recovery boiler particulate emission limits in the United States and Canada will continue to get more stringent with time. Because of this, continued improvement of emission control equipment, as well as a better understanding of how operating parameters affect performance, are necessary. Although electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are often viewed as a mature technology, many improvements in ESP technology continue to be developed. In recent years, academic efforts have improved the understanding of recovery boiler operating conditions on ESP performance. Additionally, advancements in materials, power supplies, and design continue to improve the efficiency and reliability of ESPs. This paper discusses how recovery boiler and electrostatic precipitator (ESP) operating factors affect ESP performance based on process simulations and practical experience, and how these learnings can be implemented to improve future operation of existing ESPs.

Bipolar Precharger for Hybrid Electrostatic Filtration Systems

ABSTRACT Both hybrid electrostatic filtration and agglomeration technologies can effectively improve the efficiency of fine particle collection. A hybrid electrostatic filtration system with a wire-tube bipolar precharger was developed on the basis of bipolar transverse plate electrostatic precipitation technology. Theoretical analyses of electric field and flow field distribution showed that a uniform electric field and high turbulence intensity improve ion migration and particle agglomeration in the novel wire-tube bipolar precharger. The influence of unipolar and bipolar prechargers on dust removal was investigated. In the hybrid electrostatic filtration system with the bipolar precharger, the corona current was 30% higher, the particles deposited on the surface of the filter bag were 19% larger, and the pressure drop was 30% smaller than a filtration system with a unipolar precharger. When silicon powder with a median diameter of 1.7 µm was used, the mean penetration of the experimental device with the bipolar precharger was 45% lower than that of the experimental device with the unipolar precharger.

Enhancing the thermal response of a latent heat storage system for suppressing temperature fluctuation of dusty flue gas

A latent heat thermal system suitable for high dusty flue gas environment is essential to regulate gas temperature fluctuation and improve dust removal efficiency. In the current study, an integrated thermal storage-transfer structure with phase change material (PCM) and honeycomb tube bundle was proposed and thermal response of a latent heat storage system was numerically studied. Firstly, the feasibility of using honeycomb tube bundle as thermal storage unit was verified. Next, the thermal performance enhancement of the PCM side was conducted by adding different internal fins. Finally, the predictive correlation of the suppression coefficient of temperature fluctuation was established to control the flue gas temperature reasonably based on the optimal fin arrangement obtained. The results of the present study show that the latent heat storage system with honeycomb tube bundle and internal fins is effective temperature control system. Among the five proposed internal fins, case 5 (with fins) has a higher melting and solidification rate than case 0 (without fin), and the complete melting and solidification time are reduced by 19% and 46%, respectively. According to the correlation of suppression coefficient, the latent heat storage system can be designed efficiently and reasonably, so as to improve the dust removal efficiency of the low-temperature electrostatic precipitation technology.

Characterization of an electrostatic filter prototype for bioaerosol flowmetering for INTA Investigation Aerial Platforms

The characterization of the airborne microorganisms at different altitudes of the atmosphere is usually conducted by means of aerial platforms. It is very interesting to know the biological processes in the atmosphere. However, there are problems associated to the fact that sampling systems are embarked on an aircraft and the low presence of microorganisms at high altitude. A prototype of a new electrostatic filter for bioaersol flowmetering dedicated to biology investigations has been developed. This prototype was designed to be installed on board in aerial platforms of INTA. The experimental characterization of the aerodynamic flow was performed in order to investigate the behaviour of the filter when different air intake widths and different mechanical deflectors are employed. A combination of these impactor with the filters based on industrial electrostatic precipitator technology have been studied. Non-intrusive Particle Image Velocimetry technique has been used to measure the flow field inside the filter when it was running under controlled conditions in laboratory. This study is a first investigation on the flow field of filter for bioaerosol flowmetering to be embarked on an aircraft. The results show the influence of each parameter in the flow field that could be used for further investigations and designs.

Parametric optimization of H-type finned tube with longitudinal vortex generators by response surface model and genetic algorithm

Low-low temperature electrostatic precipitator technology is one of the important ways for energy saving and emission reduction of coal-fired power plants. In order to further improve the dust removal efficiency and enhance waste heat recovery performance, a novel H-type finned elliptical tube heat exchanger with longitudinal vortex generators is proposed. To achieve the maximum heat transfer enhancement with the minimum friction factor augmentation, the response surface model and multi-objective genetic algorithm are adopted to optimize the design parameters. Firstly, combined with the finite volume method and the central composite design method, the second-order response surface model between the design parameters (the length, height, angle, and position of longitudinal vortex generators) and the objective functions (Nusselt number and friction factor) is established. Then, based on the response surface model, the Pareto optimal solution set is obtained by the multi-objective genetic algorithm. Finally, by comprehensively comparing Nusselt number, friction factor and performance evaluation criteria of Pareto optimal solutions, the optimal combination is determined. Compared with the H-type finned tube heat exchanger, the performance evaluation criteria of the optimized novel heat exchanger is improved by 48–55%, which contributes to improve the overall performance of low-low temperature electrostatic precipitator system. The findings of this paper may provide practical guidelines for researchers and designers to develop efficient heat exchangers.

Corona discharging and particle collection of bipolar transverse plate ESP

To improve the fine particle collection efficiency, a bipolar transverse plate electrostatic precipitation (ESP) technology was developed. In this ESP, there are not only the negative wire electrodes and ground plate electrodes, but also the ground wire electrodes and the negative plate electrodes. It has aroused a special interest about the corona discharging effect of the ground wire electrodes. Therefore, the corona currents of the negative wire-ground plate, the ground wire-negative plate, as well as the bipolar wire-plate electrodes have been investigated experimentally. In the experiments, the RS barbed wire and the C-plate are used as the electrodes for the purpose of the industrial application. The experimental results have shown that, when the wire-plate spacing is 200 mm, the corona current of the wire in the smooth side of the ground C-plate is 15% higher than that of curved side, however the corona current of the ground wire is about 30% less than that of the negative wires regardless of the wire is located at different sides of the industrial plate electrode. Moreover, the corona current of bipolar wire-plate electrodes is 30% less than that of the traditional wire-plate electrodes, and an important phenomenon had been discovered from this experimental work that, for the bipolar wire-plate electrodes, whenever the front side of the C-plate faces to the gas flow or not, the VI characteristics curve keeps almost no change at given wire-plate spacing. Last, an experimental setup was established for comparison of collection efficiency. When the negative polarity is applied to the bipolar transverse plate ESP, the collection efficiency increases sharply from 69.1% to 99.1%. Since both electrical forces and inertial forces play important roles in the bipolar transverse plate ESP, the penetration of the bipolar transverse plate ESP is 0.9%, which is substantially less than the penetration of 4.2% of the conventional ESP. The advantage of bipolar transverse plate ESP unit has been proved by successful operation in sintering flue control in China.

Factors affecting particulate removal efficiency of kraft recovery boiler electrostatic precipitators: a technical review

Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are used in most pulp mills to remove particulate from recovery boilers, power boilers, and lime kilns. As environmental regulations have become increasingly stringent in recent years, maintaining high ESP performance is of vital importance in mill operation. This paper discusses results of a literature review of the ESP technology used in industrial combustion units, including recovery boilers, as well as results of a parametric study using the well-known Deutsch-Anderson equation to correlate recovery boiler operating conditions with ESP collection efficiency. The results show that for particles up to about 0.3 μm, the ESP collection efficiency decreases drastically with increased particle size and with decreased temperature. For particles larger than 0.5 μm, however, the trend reverses; the collection efficiency increases with increased particle size and decreased temperature. The results also suggest that the particle concentration (or loading) in the flue gas has no effect on collection efficiency and that sodium chloride particles are more readily captured than sodium sulfate particles. The latter prediction, however, appears to be in contradiction with mill experience that sodium chloride particles are more difficult to capture.

Application of Low-low Temperature Electrostatic Precipitator Technology in Thermal Power Plant

Electrostatic precipitation technology has been widely used in various industrial fields, very nice collection of large size particles, but for the smaller particle size of particles to achieve flue gas pollutant emission standards. Electrostatic precipitation technologies are introduced—low-low temperature electrostatic precipitator technology (LLT-ESP). Through the principle of low-low temperature electrostatic precipitation technology, work processes, technical features and other aspects of the study, we can see that Low-low temperature electrostatic precipitator technology can effectively reduce SO3 and PM2.5 emissions, on the other hand to recycle the residual heat from flue gas. Low-low temperature electrostatic precipitation technology is effective technologies to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction in coal-fired power plant.

VOCs elimination and health risk reduction in e-waste dismantling workshop using integrated techniques of electrostatic precipitation with advanced oxidation technologies

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted during the electronic waste dismantling process (EWDP) were treated at a pilot scale, using integrated electrostatic precipitation (EP)-advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs, subsequent photocatalysis (PC) and ozonation). Although no obvious alteration was seen in VOC concentration and composition, EP technology removed 47.2% of total suspended particles, greatly reducing the negative effect of particles on subsequent AOTs. After the AOT treatment, average removal efficiencies of 95.7%, 95.4%, 87.4%, and 97.5% were achieved for aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, as well as nitrogen- and oxygen-containing compounds, respectively, over 60-day treatment period. Furthermore, high elimination capacities were also seen using hybrid technique of PC with ozonation; this was due to the PC unit’s high loading rates and excellent pre-treatment abilities, and the ozonation unit’s high elimination capacity. In addition, the non-cancer and cancer risks, as well as the occupational exposure cancer risk, for workers exposed to emitted VOCs in workshop were reduced dramatically after the integrated technique treatment. Results demonstrated that the integrated technique led to highly efficient and stable VOC removal from EWDP emissions at a pilot scale. This study points to an efficient approach for atmospheric purification and improving human health in e-waste recycling regions.

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

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.

Particle charging characteristics with the low-speed mixed fluid under high electric field

Air pollution caused by particles with small size has been a global concern because of threats to human health. A feasible way to remove these super fine suspended particles is using electrostatic precipitation technology. Herein, the PIV was used to measure the particle velocity distribution. By analyzing the particle motion trend in high electric field, a process of particle charging loss was observed. This phenomenon cannot be explained by current particle charging theories. Our conclusions may improve the understanding of particle charging processes.

CFD modelling of flue gas particulates in a biomass fired stove with electrostatic precipitation

Abstract The biomass fired stoves have been used in medium and large scales applications from several years and are utilizing electrostatic precipitator technology. Biomass based technologies are considered as renewable energy source and less harmful to the environment. The combustion of biomass generates a high concentration of flue gas particulates. The most of the flue gas particulates in the exhaust gas can be filtered through an electrostatic precipitator. In this work, a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model has been developed for analysing the trajectory of particulates in a small scale domestic stove using biomass material. It is considered that electrostatic precipitator is based on an approach where both charging and precipitation of particulates takes place within the same set of electrodes. The precipitator is mounted in a vertical chimney of diameter 180 mm containing a central high voltage corona source. The model is based on biomass combustion models utilising a Eulerian–Lagrangian reference. The developed CFD model demonstrates the efficiency of the removal of charged particulates of the flue gases and also the interaction of the electric field in a semi turbulent flow together with the combination of the ion wind. Also it includes the effects of space charge within the system. In the modelling, modifications have been made to the grounded cylindrical collector of electrostatic precipitation through a re-design to include a series of inclined baffle plates for improving the particulates' collection efficiency.

Soft-X-Ray-Enhanced Electrostatic Precipitation for Protection against Inhalable Allergens, Ultrafine Particles, and Microbial Infections

Protection of the human lung from infectious agents, allergens, and ultrafine particles is difficult with current technologies. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters remove airborne particles of >0.3 μm with 99.97% efficiency, but they are expensive to maintain. Electrostatic precipitation has been used as an inexpensive approach to remove large particles from airflows, but it has a collection efficiency minimum in the submicrometer size range, allowing for a penetration window for some allergens and ultrafine particles. Incorporating soft X-ray irradiation as an in situ component of the electrostatic precipitation process greatly improves capture efficiency of ultrafine particles. Here we demonstrate the removal and inactivation capabilities of soft-X-ray-enhanced electrostatic precipitation technology targeting infectious agents (Bacillus anthracis, Mycobacterium bovis BCG, and poxviruses), allergens, and ultrafine particles. Incorporation of in situ soft X-ray irradiation at low-intensity corona conditions resulted in (i) 2-fold to 9-fold increase in capture efficiency of 200- to 600-nm particles and (ii) a considerable delay in the mean day of death as well as lower overall mortality rates in ectromelia virus (ECTV) cohorts. At the high-intensity corona conditions, nearly complete protection from viral and bacterial respiratory infection was afforded to the murine models for all biological agents tested. When optimized for combined efficient particle removal with limited ozone production, this technology could be incorporated into stand-alone indoor air cleaners or scaled for installation in aircraft cabin, office, and residential heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Numerical Simulation of Airflow in Wet Rotating Reticular Plate Electrostatic Precipitator

Wet rotating reticular plate electrostatic precipitator gathers the advantages of moving electrode type electrostatic precipitator technology and wet electrostatic precipitator technology, and utilizes reticular plate, which significantly increases the dust collecting area. In this paper, airflow distribution boards were simplified as porous jump model, and empirical equation was used to get the inertial resistance factors of airflow distribution boards. FLUENT was used to simulate the internal flow field under the condition of without guide plates and with guide plates. Regular skewed airflow was formed through introducing guide plates, which improved the internal flow field significantly.

Numerical simulation of the flow and the collection mechanism inside a scale hybrid particulate collector

Numerical technology has been widely used for the study of the electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and the bag filters. This paper presents a numerical model for a scale hybrid particulate collector (HPC), which combines the ESP technology and the filtration technology together. The collection process of the HPC is unsteady as the pressure drop across the bag filter increases with the deposition of the particles. The physical processes of the model include the corona discharge, the fluid flow, the particle charging and the filtration. The corona discharge field is solved by using a finite volume method. For the fluid field, the unsteady and incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with the RNG κ– ε turbulence equations are solved. The effect of the electric field on the fluid field named electro-hydrodynamic is also considered. For the particle charging, the filed-diffusing combined model of Lawless (1996) [37] is adopted. For the filtration, an unsteady cake formation model is proposed. The pressure drop across the cake is calculated according to the mass density of the cake. The coefficient between the pressure drop and the mass density of the cake comes from the experimental data. Applying the numerical model to the HPC, the influence of the hole diameter of the perforated-plate on the collection efficiency of the electrostatic zone is analyzed. Numerical results show that the collection efficiency of the electrostatic zone of the HPC has no certain relation with the hole diameter of the perforated plate. The effect of the hole diameter of the perforated-plate on the collection efficiency of the electrostatic zone becomes weaker with increasing the applied voltage.

Removal of sulfuric acid aerosol in a wet electrostatic precipitator with single terylene or polypropylene collection electrodes

Wet electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are good options for effective control of sulfuric acid aerosol emission. However, various problems caused by materials and non-uniform distribution of water film limited the applicability of typical wet ESPs. Research on ESP technology has tried to find more suitable and anti-corrosive methods to solve these imperfections. This research was inspired by the requirement to replace rigid collection electrode by single terylene or polypropylene fabrics. A patented system was designed, and the capillary difference between terylene and polypropylene fabrics was illustrated. Contrastive V–I curves of different collection electrodes were investigated under same conditions. The effects of several important parameters on the removal of sulfuric acid aerosol were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the variations of absorbed mass were significantly influenced by physical properties of the liquids and the structure of fabrics. The behavior of the new ESP was consistent with the typical ESP using a thimbleful of water penetrating terylene or polypropylene collection electrode via capillary flow. The collection efficiencies by terylene and polypropylene fabrics were higher than those by fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP) under certain conditions. The collection efficiency had linear relationship with specific surface area (SCA) and mass concentration. The collection efficiency increased with increasing electric field strength, average diameter of particles and with decreasing gas temperature. As long as there was any water on the collector surface, any particle would exhibit similar collection efficiencies, whether of high resistivity or not. Experimental and theoretical investigations indicated that single terylene or polypropylene collection electrode had significant advancement which could improve wet ESP applications, such as superior performance and continuous operation ability compared with typical materials.

Effective capture of respirable-sized particulates using electrostatic precipitator technology

The electrostatic precipitation, widely used for the prevention of particulate pollution from industrial sources, can also be effective, when correctly, sized and operated, for the collection of respirable fine particulates, that is those below some 2 micron diameter, particularly of heavy metals which tend to be cumulative and hence injurious to health. Following a review of the basic principles of operation of electrostatic precipitators, particularly addressed to the capture of fine particulates, an outline of the various types of equipment used for collecting solid and liquid (mist) particulates is discussed. Finally some typical precipitation applications are illustrated, together with suggestions as to how efficiencies can be further increased to meet compliance with any potential future changes in legislation.