Loading Characteristics of a Miniature Wire-Plate Electrostatic Precipitator

In this work, in order to investigate the particle loading effects on the performance of an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), simultaneous measurements of the dust cake thickness accumulated on the collection plates, ESP's collection efficiency, corona discharge characteristics, and ozone concentration were conducted experimentally. A laboratory scale single stage wire-plate ESP was used for the aerosol loading test. Two kinds of particulate matter, cement and aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), were generated by using a Palas Powder Disperser. A displacement meter was used to monitor the dust cake thickness accumulated on the collection plates. A scanning mobility particle sizer was used to measure the particle size distribution and number concentration upstream and downstream of the ESP. Ozone generated by the ESP was sampled 20 cm downstream of the ESP exit and measured with an ozone analyzer. The Dioctyl Phthalate (DOP) was also used as a liquid challenge agent in order to investigate the loading effects of liquid particles on the ESP performance. The results showed that when challenged with cement particles, the ion current decreased with increasing dust cake thickness under a constant electrical field strength. Moreover, the collection efficiency and ozone generated by corona discharge decreased as the loading test progressed. For example, when the dust layer was about 5 mm in thickness, the output current and the ozone concentration decreased about 33 and 44%, respectively, and the collection efficiency (300 nm particle) decreased about 4% at a fixed electrical field strength of m 4.2 kV/cm. However, the ion current increased as aluminum oxide particles deposited on the collection plates. The increase in ozone concentration and aerosol penetration was mainly due to the occurrence of back corona, evidenced by the existence of the caves on the surface of the dust layers. In the case of testing with cement particles, the ion current rises after about 20 min of loading test and then decreases with time, while ozone concentration increases synchronously.