Inertial Separation of Particles Escaped from Electrostatic Precipitators

Abstract

For particles that escape from electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), inertial recapture is used to improve the efficiency of dust removal. A rod-grid inertial separator was designed. The electrostatic and fluid flow particle tracking modules were selected in the model established by the COMSOL software, and the dust removal efficiency of the proposed dust separator was evaluated. When the flue gas velocity was 20 m·s –1 , the diameter of the round rod was 8 mm, and the spacing of the pipes was 15 mm, the removal efficiency of PM2.5 and PM10 reached 27.8 and 84.6%, respectively. Experiments were performed under laboratory conditions and actual working conditions in a coal-fired power plant flue. Results showed that an inertial separator can achieve more than 60% efficiency in recapturing fly ashes that have escaped from ESPs. It can effectively remove fine particles and aerosol pollutants represented by PM2.5 and PM10.