Experimental study on the removal of fine particles using hole-slotted collectors in wet electrostatic precipitators

Abstract

The fine particles are considered a significant environmental pollution problem. The wet electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are now used most widely among the advanced fine particle removal technologies. The rigid glass fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) collectors modified with hole-slotted structures were used to enhance the water film distribution over their surfaces. This paper experimentally investigated the effects of the hole-slot patterns and the operating parameters on the particle removal performance in wet ESPs using the hole-slot-structured collector. The voltage-current characteristics and the energy consumption among the different pattern collectors were discussed. Besides, the effects of the water film on the particle number concentration classification and the effects of the applied voltage and the specific collecting electrode areas (SCA) on the relative collection efficiency (RCE) were investigated and discussed. The experiment results show that the corona current of three hole-slot structured FRP collectors was higher than that of the conventional rigid collectors (CRC) at the same voltage. Using the FRP collectors with circular holes and horizontal slots could decrease the energy consumption and using the FRP collectors with vertical slots increases the energy consumption compared with the CRC when the collection efficiency was lower than 92.5%. The water film could increase the collection efficiency of the fine particles and prevent the fine particles cross through the holes and the slots. The hole-slot-structured FRP collectors were appropriate for the working conditions of high SCA and long residence time. When the water film in the hole and slotted structures was incomplete, the fine particles could pass through the collector plate to form secondary back-mixing. Implications: The wet ESPs are used most widely among the advanced treatment technologies of the fine particles’ removal. The rigid glass fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) collectors modified with hole-slotted structures were used to enhance the water film distribution over their surfaces. The hole-slot-structured FRP collectors were appropriate for the working conditions of high SCA and long residence time. When the water film in the hole and slotted structures was incomplete, the fine particles could pass through the collector plate to form secondary back-mixing.