Effect of High-Voltage Electrostatic Precipitator Dust Collection Plate Structure on Collection Efficiency

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Physics

Background:

• Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are crucial for industrial dust control.
• Secondary flow from corona discharge impacts ESP efficiency.
• Optimizing ESP structure is key to improving dust collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a folding plate design on ESP flow and electric fields.
• To enhance dust collection efficiency by modifying the collector structure.
• To analyze the interplay between main flow, ionic wind, and secondary flow.

Main Methods:

• Developed a multiphysics-coupled numerical model for corona discharge and flow fields.
• Simulated and analyzed linear flat plates versus folded plates with varying pole configurations.
• Investigated performance at different inlet velocities (e.g., 0.5 m/s).

Main Results:

• The folding plate structure significantly improves near-plate electric and flow fields compared to linear plates.
• Folding plates reduce flow velocity (approx. 20% at 0.5 m/s) and inhibit ionic wind disturbance.
• Model B, particularly B3, demonstrated significantly improved dust collection efficiency.

Conclusions:

• ESP dust collecting plate structure critically influences internal fields and efficiency.
• The folding plate design is superior for reducing particle re-entrainment and boosting dust removal.
• The B3 model with the folding plate design offers the most effective dust collection solution.