The impact of corona electrode configuration on electrostatic precipitator performance

Abstract The efficiency of particle collection in an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is strongly determimed by its electric operational parameters, i.e. the chosen adjustment on the V/I-curve. Presuming constant temperature, pressure and chemical properties of the dust-laden gas, the V/I-curve solely depends on the design and arrangement of the corona and collecting electrodes. This paper presents results of an experimental investigation conducted with a laboratory scale electrostatic precipitator. In order to optimize the electrode configuration, numerous fractional efficiency measurements were performed using an optical particle analyzer with variation of all geometric parameters. The results suggest salient combinations of barb distance and discharge electrode distance, yielding current distributions with improved uniformity at the collecting plates. The optimum ratio of discharge electrode distance to gap width depends on the duct width. Smaller ratios than commonly encountered in industrial ESPs show the best performance. The results of the parameter study are also transferable to more complex electrode configurations and indicate a general potential of ESP improvement.